Where Have All the Angels Gone?
by Chiefie
Summary: Vincent Valentine embarked from his lonely coffin solely for revenge. However, as he presses onward with his unusual quest, he begins to feel differently and thoughts he would have believed to be malicious now become commonplace.
1. The Mind's Eye

Note: Hello and welcome to my first work of Final Fantasy fanfiction. For anyone curious, I have been writing for several years now, but have just gotten around to putting some of my ideas concerning this beautiful game into motion. I hope you enjoy this story, and I appreciate any generous reviews.  
  
This story contains language, violence, and mild sexual content. All characters and locations are copyrights of Square Enix.  
  
Where Have All the Angels Gone?  
  
By Chiefie  
  
The Mind's Eye  
  
_It's been a long time.  
_ The sixty-seventh floor of the Shinra Building was even more menacing than usual. Vincent Valentine had always hated traveling up to the building's higher stories, especially at nighttime. He could barely feel his way through the darkened halls as he clutched the flashlight close to his chest. Hojo had always felt that keeping the power off overnight would preserve valuable Mako energy.  
Hojo. Vincent never really cared much for him, either. Ever since his travesty of a promotion he had destroyed nearly all of Gast's research solely for the purpose of his own personal glory. If he was a true scientist he would put his personal recognition at the least of his desires.  
After three minutes of stumbling through the laboratory Vincent finally came upon his destination. The metal tank had intrigued him since the moment it arrived at Shinra Headquarters a few months before. He knew it was not standard protocol to meddle in company business (especially at night), but there was something about the purple light pervading from the small slit in the container that enthralled him. All he craved was one look; one peek into the clandestine world of the Shinra executives. He didn't think anything dreadful could come from just one look, so he pushed his locks of ebony hair backward as he placed his eyes forward into the light.  
Lying in front of him was an invention beyond what he even thought feasible. It was a hideous mass of material, swelling and pulsating like a swollen heart. Its veins throbbed and oozed fluid as it seemed to be watching him, even without a recognizable head. All it took was one look at the grotesque figure for him to immediately recognize its identity.  
"Jenova..." He pressed his face closer to the purple light, and slid his bony hands across the metal siding of the container. All of his life he had heard the legends of how Jenova overtook the Cetra in its mad search for the Promised Land. He had assumed them to be true, but was astounded all the same by seeing the very being in which he had read about for so many years.  
He dragged his gaze in deeper to Jenova's sanctum, gazing in awe of the grotesque wonder. How could something that seemed so obsolete be so powerful?  
"It's your own fault, Vincent," came a voice from an unknown location.  
"What?"  
Vincent squinted his eyes in the blinding purple light, and the form of Jenova began to transform into a face. The face was thin, young, and beautiful; it was a face that had haunted him ever since that fateful day. Her deep blue eyes splashed with tears, like the beautiful waterfalls trickling down the Planet's side. He had always hated to see her cry. Lucrecia: the one individual he had ever truly cared for, that he had ever truly loved. The same girl that he was never able to save.  
"Darkness will soon envelop you."  
_Maybe it already has._  
  
-  
  
The loud thumping outside of Vincent's midnight coffin caused him to jump upward, knocking the lid off of his sleeping chamber. He quickly rose to his feet, but to only find himself blinded completely by the soft candles of the Shinra Mansion basement. How long had he been asleep? Had it been days, weeks, or even longer than that?  
In order to preserve his vision, Vincent took the end of his maroon cape and threw it over his eyes. It was then dark; the way in which he enjoyed it.  
"Who's there?" He said hastily, not removing the cloak from his line of sight.  
"What? Who the hell's speakin'!" replied a voice from a few feet away. It was deep and repugnant, and reminded him of one of those miners at Corel he had arrested years before for smuggling Mako. They sounded like a complete and total moron, and someone that he surely should not lose valuable sleeping time over. He now hated being awake more than even his recurring nightmares; he felt uncomfortable and lost.  
Vincent spoke in a clear and articulate manner, one of which surprising for someone who had been in slumber for so long. "First I must inquire who you are that has entered my sanctum. The light of the outside world has not shown in this room for quite some time."  
"I wouldn't think you are in too much of a position to bargain, stranger," another voice stated, this one firm and much more intelligent. "Either show yourself, or be forced into a battle you cannot win."  
"Very well, if it will appease you. I have no intentions of causing harm." The mysterious party watched on while the cape fluttered down from its resting place. "My name is Vincent Valentine of the Turks."  
Despite the blinding light of candles coming from outside the doorway, Vincent could now somewhat look upon the three figures standing before him. The first one was about average in height, with a somewhat muscular build and blonde spiked-up hair. There was a particular gleam in his eye that reminded Vincent immediately of Mako energy. _This kid must be affiliated with Shinra somehow;_ he thought to himself as the blonde individual stepped forward, carrying a large sword.  
"Of the Turks, huh? It looks like we'll have to take you out then, anyway." The blonde rushed forward at him, but Vincent was able to stop his sudden advance by screaming a resonating "halt!" that echoed through the basement.  
"I am formerly of the Turks, my friend. I am no longer affiliated with Shinra, Inc." He was not altogether certain what his relationship with Shinra was at the current time, in actuality. Being as the basement seemed abandoned, he had no other reasonable solution to come to other than that he had been shunned by his own people.  
It was at this moment he received a clear glance at the other two individuals standing before him, one to each side of the blonde. The first was large and stocky and build, and had an enormous machine gun attached to one arm. He skin was dark and leathery, and had appeared to have been through extreme wear and tear over the past few years. The grimace on his face was more weathered than any man he had ever laid eyes upon. Vincent recognized his face from the numerous company files the Turks had gone through in the past. His name was Barret Wallace of Corel Village (which proved his outlandish theory to be correct). Some years before Shinra considered building a Mako reactor in Corel, and he had been one of the only few against the proposition. He wondered if the reactor was ever built...he would have to inquire if he received the opportunity.  
The other person hiding back toward the doorway proved to be the polar opposite of Barret, in that she was young and incredibly beautiful. She was small and thin, with deep emerald eyes and silky chestnut hair. She was wearing a long pink dress, and as it wrapped around her elegant body Vincent had a difficult time keeping himself from staring too closely. She reminded him of one of the beautiful women of his early adulthood; the ones that would seduce him and then leave them out to dry. Yet she also had a certain quality to her, like Barret, that made her seem incredibly familiar. She seemed to be the least perturbed by Vincent's presence, since she was not anticipating any battle of the sort.  
Even though the woman's beauty made it impossible to keep his concentration on anything else, he was inquired upon by Barret, who had now stepped to the front of the group.  
"Wait, if you used to be with them Shinra people, the hell you doin' in a coffin in the middle of a basement? Don't you got better things to do?"  
"I would be off participating in other endeavors, had I not been entrapped in this coffin for such a long time, listening to nothing but the curses of my own dreams. Tell me, Mr. Wallace, was the Mako reactor in Corel ever constructed?"  
Upon hearing this, Barret commenced to panic, flinging his gun-arm into the air and screaming in shock. "What? How the hell do you know my name?" The burly man had his hand set to begin firing, but he was quickly sedated by the brown-haired beauty.  
"Hold on, Barret." Her voice was soft and enchanting, and flowed almost like a quiet stream trickling through a meadow. "Do you know who we all are?"  
"Only the man with the gun on his arm. I know him indirectly; my former superior, Tseng, used to speak often about his aggressive behavior."  
Barret was growing irate upon the constant ridiculing of his character, and the woman was having an increasingly difficult time restraining him. "I'll have you know that they did build their big-ass reactor right in the middle of Corel, and hundreds of miners lost their jobs and were forced to move elsewhere! On top of that, you punks got me blamed for the entire incident, and I can't even show my face in that junkyard anymore!" Barret was able to escape a single shot from his weapon, but Vincent dodged it by leaping backwards.  
Climbing back upon his resting place, Vincent glared back towards the aggravated gentleman. "You are becoming too hasty, Barret, for I was never even a proponent for building the reactor in Corel in the first place. You must remember that I was only a low-ranking officer in the Turks, and really had no ultimate say in such critical matters." The room became silent, and Vincent was forced to continue the conversation. He was not overly ambitious in befriending the party (he feared that the beauty would not be even worth his trouble), but he figured it would at least do him some good to know the current state of the Planet. He could have been asleep for years, as it appeared so from Barret's commentary.  
"So who are your companions, Mr. Wallace? One of them seems as if he was formerly affiliated with Shinra, as well."  
"I was affiliated with Shinra," the blonde stated, clutching his sword while marching forward. "My name is Cloud Strife, former SOLDIER first class!"  
"That's peculiar...I don't recall any officers by that name. You must have registered recently."  
"I first enlisted nearly six years to this day. I am actually from this town, which I saw burned to the ground five years ago by Sepiroth."  
"Wait..."  
"You know Sepiroth?" The question was uttered by the two of them in unison, and they stared at one another in shock for quite a duration of time. Vincent could not believe that Lucrecia's son had grown to be such a prominent figure in today's world. He wondered what ever happened to Lucrecia...he hoped that this Cloud individual would know.  
"I joined SOLDIER because I wanted to be identical to Sepiroth," Cloud stated bitterly. "Unfortunately, my dreams never came true, for Sepiroth went insane the day he burned down Nibelhelm. I broke all ties with Shinra shortly afterward."  
"So is...Sepiroth still alive?" Vincent was almost terrified to ask the question, for a cold chill was already running down his spine. He had decided it was best to keep Lucrecia a secret for the time being.  
"No," Cloud replied coldly. "Sepiroth was killed that same day. He was killed by me."  
Cloud was quickly interrupted by the shockingly beautiful girl, who grabbed his left arm and spoke softly. "We have seen Sepiroth recently; we think he may have been revived."  
Vincent's eyes jerked upward at this mentioning, and his attention turned to that of the brunette, who was looking at him directly with her emerald eyes. "That's quite fascinating, miss. And you are?"  
"My name is Aeris Gainsborough. I am...a flower girl from the Midgar slums." There was a brief pause in her flowing speech, which led Vincent to immediately believe that she was hiding something. However, he knew the identity of the secret instantly upon the mentioning of her name. Standing before him was the last surviving ancestor of the Cetra, more commonly known as the Ancients. The Turks had searched for this girl for years; Shinra claimed that she was key to the Planet's survival. However, she was only at that time a small child, though. Had he truly been asleep for this long?  
Vincent pondered as to whether or not to spill his knowledge, but he decided it could not be altogether harmful in the present situation.  
"So, you are Ifalna's daughter, the last surviving Cetra in this world."  
"No...I don't know what you are talking about."  
"It is all right for you to speak the truth in front of me. I am not hunting you or conducting an experiment, even though I was assigned to at one time. Tell me Miss Gainsborough, how old are you presently?"  
Now finally realizing that he meant no harm, Aeris stepped slowly towards Vincent and nodded her head. "I turned twenty-two last February, but what does that have to do with anything?"  
Vincent finally retired from his standing position and carefully sat down upon the lid of the coffin. "It means that I have been asleep for at least eight years, possibly even longer. I remember you should have been approaching your teenage years at the time my memory fades."  
"So why were you put to sleep in the first place, and how did you endure? No real human being could have survived that long without withering away." Aeris had grown to be the only person with any true interest in Vincent, as the other members of the party had resorted to other activities. Barret seemed to be watching the chandelier swinging ever so lightly overhead.  
In hearing Aeris's questions, Vincent cowered down at the foot of his coffin, with his head out of sight, exposing only his rugged black hair. "That is a question I have no true answer to, my dear. I was put to rest here as a punishment for my sins."  
"What sins?"  
"That I could not save Lucrecia."  
"Lucrecia? What the hell's that? Sounds like some kind of damn bladder control pill."  
Vincent was immediately furious at Barret's incompetence, and he grabbed hold of a stake lying behind his coffin and pointed it towards the hulking man's throat. "Listen, you ignorant fool, you would be wise to take back that comment or I'll cut your throat before you even fire off a shot."  
"Okay, sorry! Didn't know you'd get so damn bent outa shape over it." Barret backed away from the aggressor, and Vincent commenced his explanation.  
"Lucrecia was at one time the bane of my existence. She was both intelligent and beautiful, but all the same far beyond my wildest dreams. Lucrecia is the mother of this Sepiroth you have so recently encountered.  
"Wait," Cloud protested, "I thought that Jenova was Sepiroth's mother."  
"Lucrecia is Sepiroth's biological mother. He was merged with Jenova's cells, which created the being so many have admired and yet feared."  
"Then why do so many people remain oblivious to the truth?"  
"It's simple," Vincent explained, "The truth about Sepiroth's birth was a cunning cover-up by the Shinra. I should know, since I was such a crucial part of it." He glanced around the room to notice them all awaiting his next move; his succeeding question. After being so accustomed to rest, he was already becoming weary and desirous of sleep. However, he could not permit an end to the conversation until he learned a small bit more about his peculiar guests.  
"So tell me: what are an ex-SOLDIER, an obnoxious rebel, and the last surviving Cetra on the face of this earth doing in Shinra Mansion? There is no solace to be found inside of these ghastly walls."  
Cloud paused for a moment to consider his specific explanation for his actions, and continued. "We know that Sepiroth has been treading through these lands, and we are trying to hunt him down before he does something terrible. There have been monsters in black capes roaming around Nibelhelm speaking of a "Reunion"."  
"So do you think you know Sepiroth's true intentions?" At this point Vincent's demeanor became extremely tense and soft-spoken, almost as if the small walls of his chamber were beginning to enclose even further.  
"We think he could possibly be working alongside the Shinra, or could have a plan of his own. Either way, it seems that the fate of the Planet lies entirely in our hands."  
Aeris smiled, and placed her delicate hands behind her back. "And we're not going to give up on the planet until we know it's safe."  
In hearing Aeris's sudden optimism Vincent almost wanted to chuckle. How could someone be so pleasant in a situation devoid of any hope? With the world in a dying state to begin with, the presence of even more evil would surely destroy all of humankind.  
_Wait_, Vincent thought to himself, _if only I had been more protective of Lucrecia and Sepiroth so many years ago, would the present dilemma even exist? Had he been the cause of even more turmoil than originally thought?_  
In realizing these seemingly obvious truths, he felt no need to speak with the wayward travelers anymore. Their quest was ultimately futile, and watching them achieve failure would do nothing but add to his own despair. The girl Aeris was in fact beautiful, but seeing her inevitably die before his very eyes could be too much for him to bear.  
And it would all be his fault.  
Vincent quickly leaped to his feet, and swiped the layers of dust off of his dark clothing. He stared down at the party below him, and the frown upon his face became increasingly apparent.  
"I am sorry for the hassle I have caused to you travelers today. As much as I would like to support you in your quest, hearing of the present situation has caused me to bear a greater level of sin than even before. I must now retire, and face the nightmares that await me." Glancing one more time at the group below (and shifting his gaze one last time to Aeris, who had backed away towards the door), Vincent swept back into the coffin, and slammed the lid tightly. The party attempted to inquire of his sudden change in attitude, but he mumbled for them to leave and let him face his horrible fate alone.  
They would never understand the pain. As much as the three were determined to save the planet, it would prove impossible. There was no good in the world anymore, and without a ray of hope there could be no chance of countering an epidemic of despair.  
  
-  
  
_It was worse than a dream._

The conference room was filled with the usual suspects for an early afternoon meeting. President Shinra stood at the head of the table, muddling through stacks of books and documents as always, while Heidegger baffled that grisly laugh that made him irritated so badly. Rufus, the president's intelligent but overly ambitious child, was sitting at the back of the room with a notepad, taking important notes in order to find a better solution to a current problem. The rest of the executives were much easier for Vincent to shun from his memory, since they were ultimately of no significance other than to pester the president for new company reforms.  
He could remember the exact day nearly detail by detail, with Tseng allowing him to stand at his side in the back of the conference room. At the time Vincent was thrilled, in that it was his first-ever opportunity to listen in to a conference of Shinra's top executives. It was in this conference that the new head of the Science Department would be unveiled. Nobody seemed to understand the reasoning behind Professor Gast's sudden resigning of his position (either that or information was to remain confidential for the time being). It had been years since Gast had departed from Shinra, and yet no successor had been named.  
President Shinra stood in front of the executive committee, his broad shoulders twitching under the bright lights of the ceiling. He hesitated for a moment (as he often did before making critical speeches), and then made his vital announcement.  
"Ladies and gentleman of the committee, as of this day we are moving forward in the next chapter of our glorious company's history. We have studied all viable candidates to oversee our Science Department, and have made the decision to elect one of Professor Gast's own pupils to this much sought-after position. Therefore, I am pleased to introduce to a bright and ambitious man, Professor Hojo. I am allowing him to step forward now, and discuss with each of you his new and exciting plans to bring this corporation to the next level." There was light applause (as well as a few minor groans from various executives) as Professor Hojo, then a vibrant and enthusiastic man in his late thirties, stepped before the grand table.  
"Hello and good morning, ladies and gentlemen of the Executive Committee. Let me first show my utmost gratitude in my promotion to this prestigious position. I can ensure you that there will be new and wonderful endeavors in the time I will oversee this department."  
"I'm sure you will," Heidegger mumbled under his breath, frustrated that a man that seemed so ineffectual to him could be promoted to such a high position.  
Ignoring the obnoxious comment by the Department of Defense head, Hojo adjusted his thin-plated glasses and continued. "Anyway, as head of the Science Department, I am bound and determined to utilize the ideas and theories of Professor Gast and take them one step further. Gast had created numerous hypotheses concerning the "Promised Land", a place in which all of our worries and hardships would be extinct. We would live in a perfect world with unlimited Mako, and Shinra would be able to oversee it all with power and force."  
Tseng grimaced as Hojo spit out more and more lies to the committee. Gast had pondered over the existence of such a Promised Land for years, but had never made such insinuations that it was a feasible goal or that Shinra could rule it.  
Hojo, however, being the greedy and glory-seeking individual he was, continued to ramble on with his speech.  
"Now while Professor Gast was able to speculate much about this Promised Land, he had found no ultimate solution to his paradox. In what Gast had failed in, though, I shall succeed. I have successfully found a method to get to this Promised Land that has been rumored for so many generations, and I can promise you that by the end of my tenure Shinra will have found their way to its gates of happiness and bliss."  
"And how do you expect to do this?" inquired Reeve, a rather introverted man who was in charge of Shinra's company records. "Professor Gast was never even able to prove that the Promised Land even existed, let alone promise to guide the people of Midgar to it."  
"Oh, but Professor Gast did know the way to the Promised Land," Hojo interrupted, lifting his bony index finger into the air. "He had just chosen to keep it secret from the rest of us. He didn't want to jeopardize the safety of his lovely wife and child to make a life-changing discovery."  
"As some of you may or may not know, Ifalna and Aeris are the last two descendents of the Cetra, better known to the laymen as the Ancients. According to the legends, it was the Cetra who protected the Promised Land when Jenova came to destroy it, and it is only that Cetra that can again show us the way."  
Scarlet, a newly-appointed and yet still supercilious member of the council, stood up to inquire about the logic behind Hojo's plan. "And what makes you think that a race so self-indulgent as the Ancients are going to help us find the Promised Land? They haven't cared about us for centuries, so there's no incentive for them to start now."  
"That is where you are wrong, my dear," Hojo replied, cackling in front of the assembly of executives. "As of now I have Ifalna locked in a research chamber in the sixth-seventh floor. We had recruited the Turks in secrecy to kidnap her from Icicle Inn, and they succeeded. My gratitude goes to Tseng for this service." Tseng smiled and placed his hand on his young apprentice's shoulder. Vincent had been part of the team that searched for Ifalna, even though he never truly knew the motives behind it.  
"With Ifalna in our possession," Hojo continued, "we can basically bribe her into becoming our beautiful specimen by simple threats. In our searches we were unable to retrieve her daughter, Aeris, and Ifalna has been very reluctant to give us any clue as to her whereabouts. Of course we could find the girl if we so chose to, but we feel it is better for us to use her as bait. As long as Ifalna helps us in our endeavors, the girl is safe."  
It didn't surprise Vincent that the Shinra would use such unethical strategies in getting what they wanted. They were an organization based entirely off of deception and fear, and they would use their abilities whenever they felt it necessary. He had never joined Shinra to be deceiving, but rather to see the world. Unfortunately, travel seemed to come with utilizing every form of trickery possible, so he was forced into using such cowardly techniques.  
Vincent was close to strolling out of the conference room at that moment, but Hojo continued with his final portion of his speech.  
"To conclude my portion of this meeting, I am pleased to announce my other current project to add to the glory of Shinra. A young man by the name of Sepiroth has come to us desiring to be the greatest warrior in the history of the Planet. We of the Science Department have acquiesced with his demands, but under the condition that he eventually becomes our military leader in our quest for the Promised Land. He is willing to undergo serious and dangerous risks in order to lead us to victory, so we will be employing all necessarily techniques in order to make him great."  
"As of right now, Sepiroth is enclosed inside of a Mako chamber on Mt. Nibel, being exposed to an unprecedented level of both Mako energy and Jenova cells. With this energy, Sepiroth should be able to become stronger than any member of SOLDIER could ever dream."  
"So what about Lucrecia?" Reeve inquired, "Does she realize that her son could be ultimately killed or dramatically altered from this experiment?"  
Hojo once again began his eccentric cackling, and bent over to make full eye contact with Reeve. "You worry too much, Master Reeve. Sepiroth is almost a grown man, and should be able to make such decisions without his mother's consent. If Lucrecia begins to protest the experimentations, we can easily make sure that she is out of Shinra's way permanently. With the business of Sepiroth's father, I'm sure he won't mind taking such a dangerous risk." This brought a small collection of laughs from the executives at the table. Lucrecia had said Sepiroth's father to be a drunkard in the Sector 7 Slums, and he was too incoherent to recognize his own name let alone the identity of anyone else.  
Vincent, however, found no humor in Hojo's haughty demeanor towards the concerns of Lucrecia. He grew very angry at the scientist, who had begun to speak about department spending when Vincent interrupted.  
"Hojo, you are telling me that you are willing to do away with one of the most respected field researches in the entire corporation just for your little game?" Vincent slowly crossed over to the table, and emphatically pounded his fist against the mahogany. There was no way one power-hungry scientist was going to risk the welfare of the only one he loved just to toy around with Mako.  
"You're sick," he muttered, glaring at his haughty adversary.  
Hojo sneered at the aggressive Turk who had protested his ingenious plan, and Tseng was forced to hold Vincent back as the new head of the Science Department spoke.  
"You forget your place in this company, Turk. It is not the business of someone in as lowly a position as yourself to question my motives. Now unless you want to be in some serious danger yourself, I suggest you exit this discussion before you cause any more interruptions."  
Vincent said little to continue the heated discussion, and angrily stormed out of the conference room. From that moment on, he despised Hojo, not just for his own attitude towards Professor Gast, but for the constant shirking of people he cared so much for.  
If only he had been given the courage, he would have killed him that very moment.  
  
-  
  
_Hojo.  
_ Vincent was groaning and snarling inside of his coffin, wishing for any sort of way to achieve revenge over the one who destroyed his entire existence. He had watched helplessly as Lucrecia vanished a few weeks after Hojo's infamous speech, and shortly after that he found himself in this cursed coffin, being forced to recall the horrific incidents of his past repeatedly in his head. He had hated himself for years for not stopping the scientist when he had the chance, and his own self-hatred had led to his current disposition.  
He wondered if Hojo was still active. If only he could confront him one more time, he would seek his much-desired retribution for the torment he had underwent.  
As Vincent lay in his coffin, however, small traces of extraordinary thoughts began to travel through his mind. Maybe it was time he left this musky basement and achieved the revenge he so badly desired.  
This traveling party could be one of his only opportunities at freedom. They were the only contact from the outside world he had received in over eight years, and they at least seemed to have a desire to do something for the health of the Planet. Even if their mission was undoubtedly futile, it may be better to at least attempt to make a difference as opposed to withering away in a coffin.  
The thought kept recurring in his mind. If he could just eliminate Hojo, then maybe the nightmares would finally cease and he could rest.  
Upon this, it was decided. Slowly and meticulously, he climbed out of his bedchamber and stretched his frail figure. He walked slowly over to the corner of the room, and picking up a small rifle, he dusted it off and placed it in his black pants pocket. His skin felt dead and scaly, but he continued trudging across to the doorway, almost like a zombie continuing at all costs. He had not exited his room since the fateful day he was placed there, but he continued his systematic walking as he entered the more candle-lit area of the basement. His eyes were burning, but he could still see the traveling party heading towards the stairs. He was honestly surprised to even see them still present in the basement.  
Testing out his once-dormant vocal cords again, he shouted over to them.  
"Wait!"  
Aeris, being the only one who initially heard his cry, notified Cloud and Barret of the stranger's sudden appearance, and they turned around to face him.  
"If I go with you three, do you think I will find Hojo?"  
Cloud scratched at his narrow chin for a moment, and nodded his head. "It's a possibility. We're after President Rufus, so there's a good chance we will meet up with Hojo before it is over."  
"Hmm...very interesting. So I suppose it is settled then; I can leave with you immediately."  
Barret initially commenced a protest, but Aeris and Cloud halted him.  
"If Vincent here used to be with the Shinra," Aeris reminded him, "it's likely that he will be useful in us finding them." It almost made Vincent smile to know that someone at least desired him around.  
"Okay," Barret replied reluctantly. "He's just so damn scary- looking."  
The four continued getting better acquainted with one another, and they exited Shinra Mansion to the light of the outside world.  
  
Note: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, and once again I appreciate any feedback. Note that this is fiction, and some mild liberties have been taken with the story's plot to suit my writing. Thanks for reading!


	2. Masks

Note: I greatly appreciate my reviews so far. I try as much as I can not to stray from the plot of the game, but you will notice in much of this story that I create things that were simply not mentioned in the game. Be sure to send some reviews!  
  
_ Masks  
  
I suppose you're searching for forgiveness now.  
_ "All right gang, here we are at the foot of Mt. Nibel. I'd first like to introduce you to the newest member of our fight against Shinra: Vincent Valentine, a former member of the Turks. With Vincent's prior training and high level of intelligence, he may be a great addition to our group."  
It had been approximately twenty minutes since Vincent had climbed out of the dusty front doors of Shinra Mansion, his home of residency for over eight years. His eyes were still burning terribly, so he was just beginning to grow accustomed to the immensely bright lights of the outside world.  
The party had traveled a good few miles out of Nibelhelm and was now standing in a vast green meadow, decorated with small willow trees and shrubs. It was a warm afternoon in the early fall, so the surroundings had yet to fully transform into the red-and-orange spectacle of color that they would in just a few short months.  
After arriving in the meadow, Vincent was greeted by a grand assortment of people, all of which were unique and quite different from him. Tifa Lockheart (introduced as a childhood friend of Cloud) was pretty and optimistic, and yet also had a certain tomboyish charm to her that seemed to provide humor for the party. Meanwhile, Yuffie Kisaragi was simply loud and obnoxious, and was far too young for Vincent to even take any attention in. Along with these two women was a peculiar pair of creatures, which were extremely difficult for Vincent to initially classify as anything. There was Cait Sith, who appeared to be some sort of overly ambitious car riding a robotic Mog, and Nanaki, who was a red beast-like creature that resembled Vincent more in personality than any other member of the party (who also surprisingly talked more intelligently that any of them). Due to this brilliant hue of his fur, Nanaki had been affectionately labeled "Red" by most everyone in the caravan.  
The assortment of individuals had congregated around a collection of stones in the meadow, and was now discussing their next move. Cloud had taken the initiative to jump to the position of authority, and was now directing the team as to how to plunge forward in their conquests.  
"Okay, Mt. Nibel is probably not a good place for all of us to travel as a group. As you should all know by now, we are conducting this mission on a basis of secrecy and do not want any Shinra guys to catch us wandering around."  
"Damn!" interrupted Barret, "does that mean we're gonna have to split up into groups again?" Barret was a talkative fellow, and did not enjoy walking in small groups.  
Cloud nodded his head. "Yes Barret, it appears so. Now since you've had a lot of experience in the mountains I'm going to have you guide Aeris through the area. Are you okay with that?"  
"That's fine by me," Barret replied, secretly proud that he could be trusted with such an important assignment. It did, however, make Vincent wonder as to why Cloud would take such a special interest in Aeris's safety above anyone else, even if she was an Ancient. It was probably silly of him to think that there were no feelings between the two of them in the first place; it was highly unlikely that some random outside would be able to come in and sweep a girl as beautiful as Aeris immediately off her feet.  
Cloud wasted no time in his planning, and turned over to Vincent, who had rested himself against one of the stones in the ground. After not exercising at all for such a long time, climbing an entire mountain would inevitably be murderous upon his frail body.  
"Vincent, you have some experience around Mako reactors, don't you?"  
"...A small amount," he replied hesitantly. "I'm not altogether certain as to how particularly reactors have changed but I have visited this Nibel reactor before. Rather a gruesome place."  
"Well if you are familiar with this area, do you mind guiding Red and Cait Sith through it?"  
"No problem whatsoever," he stated hastily. Hiding his diffidence, he spun his rifle around in the air for a moment to flaunt.  
"All right then," Cloud continued, "I guess that leaves me to take care of Tifa and Yuffie for the time being." A small hint of a smile appeared on Tifa's soft face, but was quickly eliminated to return to a more serious expression.  
"Hey Cloud," Red interrupted while placing his large paws against a nearby rock, "where exactly are we heading to once we get out of the mountains?"  
The blonde-haired man laughed almost like a child before continuing. "Man, I guess I forgot to mention that. If my memory serves me correctly there should be a town a few miles outside of the mountains. We'll meet up in the inn there." Recognizing that they had all information necessary, many members of the party rose to their feet.  
"As always, I'll lead Tifa and Yuffie on first, and Vincent's group can depart about an hour later. We gotta make sure we clear the road for Aeris and Barret." Cloud motioned for the ladies to follow him, and Tifa and Yuffie walked up slowly behind him. Yuffie was almost trudging along, as if she didn't want to be here in the first place.  
Before Cloud left, he shot a small glance back towards Aeris, who was sitting on a rock feeling the blades of grass between her dainty fingers.  
"I'll see you, Aeris," he whispered softly while departing. Aeris didn't respond verbally, but acknowledged his departure by looking up. As soon as Cloud ventured beyond sight, she resumed her chore of toying with the meadow's grass.  
Vincent crawled under a willow tree a few yards from the rest of the travelers and looked down at the land surrounding him. He had suddenly started to wonder again why he had even decided to join this expedition. In being around people again, he felt no comfort but rather sadness. He was able to see exactly how different he was from the norm, and how he could not form any decent relationship with anyone. The past had proven it to him.  
  
-  
  
It was a cloudy evening in Kalm when Vincent had returned to the Chocobo stables alongside Ester. Over the past few months of the summer they had taken quite a liking to riding Chocobos together, and made it almost their daily routine to cross the hilltops and the emerald fields. Vincent's hair was shorter, and his eyes were much more inviting than the day he was resurrected in his coffin.  
Upon reaching the stables, they each climbed off of their birds and placed them back in the main pen, where Chocobo Bill had instructed them to do so.  
Vincent turned back to his best friend, who was still stroking her excitable Chocobo with the palm of her hand. "So are you ready to leave? We have a pretty good walk ahead of us back to Kalm."  
"Yeah, I guess so," Ester replied, letting her strawberry blonde hair be thrown backwards by the northern wind. "It's so funny how every time you nearly have to drag me away from the stables. I don't know why I like Chocobos so much, but I can never seem to get away for them for two long."  
Ester, then only seventeen years old, was a charming and attractive young lady, even though she was never exactly beautiful. She was both intelligent and comical, and Vincent's only true friend within his hometown. Her eyes were blue and bright, and would often offer a direct view into the inner feelings of her soul. She was often emotional, which sometimes made him uncomfortable around her.  
"So tell me, Vince," Ester said brightly, carrying her Chocobo helmet at her side while walking, "have you found a job in town yet? It's going to be awfully strange not seeing you during study time."  
Vincent shivered immediately at Ester's asking of the question, since it was one he had purposely avoided for weeks. "Actually, I've already found myself some work, and I'm going to start tomorrow."  
"What's that?" Ester inquired with the utmost of interest.  
"I've been hired by Shinra, Inc. to be part of their Special Forces operators, the Turks."  
"And you're going to train in Kalm?" Ester was trying to the acme of her ability to believe that Vincent was not traveling elsewhere, even though it was likely to be the case.  
Vincent stopped for a moment in his tracks, and carefully shook his head no. "I'm sorry Ester; I'm leaving for Midgar first thing tomorrow morning. I don't want to be trapped in this town. I am not one for warmth and friendships; I want to see the world and the Turks can help me do that."  
As Ester continued walking forward, a slight hint of anger was present in her voice. "And what about me, Vincent? You were just planning on leaving first thing in the morning without telling me where you were going? I care about you, Vincent. I don't want to see you go." The anger diminished from her voice as she talked, and by the conclusion her tone was soft and dejected.  
"I...love you, Vincent."  
For a moment, hearing these words even made Vincent feel some sort of regret inside for his actions. He was friends with Ester merely for the purpose of not being in solitude his entire childhood; he had never known he had such an affect upon her.  
Vincent turned backwards to again face his friend, who was now clutching her small hands to her shirt collar and on the brink of sobbing.  
"I planned on sneaking out of town, that is true. I'm not one for long or emotional goodbyes, and you know that I couldn't stand to see you cry. I am sorry again, but I never intended to settle down in Kalm. There is nothing left here for me."  
"But...what about me?" Ester had abandoned all notions of holding back her tears now, and commenced to sob profusely. She reached out for Vincent to put her arm around her, but she received no warm embrace.  
Vincent slowly took his hands and removed a small linked chain from his neck. It was a tiny necklace made of mythril that his father had given to him as a toddler, and one of his most cherished possessions. He then slowly opened up Ester's left hand, and placed the necklace inside of her grasp.  
"Maybe I'll see you again sometime." He did not look back again, but instead walked onward into the warm summer wind.  
Vincent wondered now whatever happened to his old friend. She was the only true friendly face in his life, but he had made the mistake of losing all contact with her. Even if he never loved her, she was the only one who had ever cared about him in a special way.  
Unfortunately, the tragedy of the matter was that Vincent had not done anything to relinquish his aloof attitude towards others.  
_ Will you always be alone?_  
  
-  
  
The sky above Vincent was blue and peaceful. The Sun was beginning to lower itself down into the horizon, and nightfall would arrive in only a few hours. He had fallen asleep sometime during his retirement, but he was unsure as to the duration of his slumber.  
"What are you looking at?"  
Vincent jumped about three feet into the air when the voice spoke to him. He looked up, however, to be calmed by the perfect face of Aeris.  
"It's getting to be about time for you to lead on into the mountains. You're ready, aren't you?"  
Now standing at his usual posture, he knocked the wrinkles out of his clothing and stretched his aching joints. "I believe I am as ready as I will ever be, Miss. I hope to see you on the other side."  
"I'll be looking forward to it," she replied smiling. "There are some...questions I want to ask you."  
Vincent nearly smiled himself when he discovered he had some sort of meaning to Aeris. He now had a true incentive to cross the mountains; to simply see her again. Her "questions" probably had more to do with her past than anything, but it made Vincent feel much more accepted.  
He bowed briefly to his lovely acquaintance.  
"Until later." He then turned back towards the rest of his rocks, where the group of followers was awaiting him.  
"Cait Sith! Nanaki! Are you two ready?"  
The dog-like creature leaped off of a nearby boulder and surged towards the leader, slowly followed by the ridiculous hopping of Cait Sith, who would probably have a difficult time staying onboard his Mog during the strenuous climbing of Mt. Nibel.  
Nanaki shook the dirt out of his fur and looked back up at Vincent.  
"Call me Red; it will save you the confusion."  
  
The rocky terrain of Mt. Nibel made it extremely difficult for the party to move forward in any sort of formation, so they were forced to just trudge wherever they could find a level area. Vincent took the lead, while Red and Cait Sith were close behind him.  
"So tell me, Red, where exactly are you from? I have traveled much of this world and yet I have never seen a creature as unique as you."  
Red, who was traveling about ten feet behind Vincent, was actually surprised to hear a question asked of him by his guide. The journey up until this point had been utterly silent, with Vincent talking only when he needed to warn them of rough conditions.  
His surprise of the inquiry did not keep him from meriting a response, though. "I was born and raised in Cosmo Canyon, a small community just south of here. The people of the canyon are deep-thinkers, and spend little time communicating with other areas of the world. We rarely receive any visitors, and we seldom travel elsewhere."  
"Then what, if I may ask, convinced you to go on this little expedition?"  
"I was off running an errand for my grandfather when I was kidnapped by the Shinra and taken to Midgar for "scientific purposes". They had both Aeris and I in a plastic prison hoping for us to breed." As the conversation continued through the hike, Cait Sith seemed to drift backward while Vincent and Red came closer to converse.  
"They wanted Aeris and you to breed? Whose idea was this?"  
"The head of the Science Department; he was a small, crooked little man with long hair and glasses. I can't seem to recall his name, though..."  
"Hojo?"  
"Yes, that's correct; his name was Hojo. He was rather an insane little man. I have no real understanding of what Hojo's motive was in attempting to breed both Aeris and I. Even though both are species are on the brink of extinction, it is unlike Shinra to support animal conservation."  
Vincent knew why Hojo wished for Red and Aeris to breed, but he kept the information to himself and continued closer to a large plank bridge less than a mile away. Hojo had apparently thought that he could find another way to this "Promised Land" if he conducted extensive experiments upon the Ancients. However, such a period of research could be dangerous and take a broad length of time, and Hojo wanted to have a replacement specimen in case Aeris perished during the research. Red was the last member of his own race, and therefore he was able to conjure a decent excuse for breeding him.  
Vincent remained silent for a few minutes before turning around immediately before a wooden plank bridge to Cait Sith, who was lagging behind by a few meters. "So what about you, Cait Sith? What is your motivation for being out here?"  
Tragically, Cait Sith was not able to answer, for the group was quickly jumped upon by a group of three cricket-like monsters.  
"Everyone!" Vincent shouted, "Prepare for battle! We have a total of three Kyuvilduns attacking us, and while they are not altogether lethal, they could surprise us with their quickness!"  
"Don't worry; I have that taken care of," Cait Sith replied while casting the spell Haste on all party member. "That should counter their speed." Vincent was surprised to see that the party had been able to collect Materia as they had, for even he had a fire magic spells available at his disposal.  
Once energized, Vincent grasped his rifle in his hand and fired a quick shot at the small Kyuvildun, which was a small but somewhat visible target against the rugged brown landscapes of Mt. Nibel. His shot sank clean into the creature, which caused it to fall onto the ground and wither.  
However, this attack was quickly countered by a fellow Kyuvildun, which grabbed onto Red's bushy mane and tugged forwards and backwards. Red screamed in agonizing pain, and the creature dug its thin legs in deeper through his skin.  
"Red, attack it! You are much stronger than it, and by taking the aggressive approach it will be defeated!" Red snarled, and by biting the insect with his razor-sharp teeth, the Kyuvildun fell to the ground, where it was annihilated from a blow of Cait Sith's megaphone. There was only one enemy left, and Vincent glared it down and reached out his right hand.  
"I hope I still remember how to do this." He lifted his hand upward, and by releasing a small amount of energy through his patience and strength, the Fire2 spell was cast upon the Kyuvildun, which made it perish before hitting the ground. The battle was completed, and the party was easily named the victors.  
Vincent placed the rifle back in his pants pocket, and motioned for his followers to continue.  
"Let's move on. We will not have to travel too much further, and I know of a secure location that we can stay overnight in."  
"Hold on a sec," Cait Sith interrupted, "I thought we were supposed to travel out of the mountains before finding a place to rest."  
"We were," Vincent said defiantly, "but I fear that my body is not strong enough yet to handle such strenuous travel, so it will be best for us to stop for the night soon. I know a place near the reactor itself where the enemies are less abundant than other sections of the mountain, and we can alternate keeping watch to be safe."  
The party agreed to Vincent's proposition, and they slowly crossed the wooden plank bridge to the other side of the mountains, where several caves and passages were in plain view.  
"Okay," Vincent stated abruptly, pointing toward the cave on the far left. "This will take us on to the reactor. I know you would not think it safe, but the caves near the reactor will be the most sufficient place for us to sleep."  
Inside of the entryway, there was a vast mechanical chamber filled with pipes and rusted metal. It seemed as if the building had not been in operation for several years, for all the levers and switches were entrapped with thick spider webs.  
As the group continued their descent to the pit of the mechanical chamber, Vincent realized that Cait Sith had never spoken of his motives, or even who he was in the past. Truly all he knew of the creature was that he formerly worked as a fortuneteller in Gold Saucer. In fact, he did not even seem to be real, for neither he nor his Mog partner had any mannerisms or slight movements. They did, however, sustain regular speech patterns and an adequate level of intelligence. Vincent dismissed the thought temporarily, for he felt as if he already knew the answer to his plaguing question, and it was one that would come to him eventually.  
Each party member had selected different pipes to travel down (since they all seemingly led to the same destination), and were able to obtain a variety of weapons and items before meeting up again at the chamber's bottom. The floor in the downward sanctum was chilly and dark, so the group huddled close together to prevent any sudden attacks.  
"So where do we go now, chief?" Cait Sith asked from behind, obviously using conversation as a tool for shadowing his apparent fear.  
Vincent did not receive a divine opportunity to answer, for he began to hear a loud thumping from behind him. As soon as he saw a hint of flame come from the shadows, he ordered for the party to prepare once again for battle.  
"Okay, this time it will be serious! Get your best Materia ready in case we need it!" A roar refrained Vincent from any further comments, and in a short time the group met the acquaintance of an enormous purple dragon with a dark green stomach. He was large enough to destroy any warrior in a single blow, and could scorch any survivors easily with his fire.  
Cait Sith again started the fray by casting Haste on the party, while Red prepared his best ice attack. Vincent fired at the dragon continuously in between the others' spells, but little seemed to have any effect on the enormous monster.  
Then, all at once, it approached, knocking Vincent ten feet backward with its tail. It roared on its hind legs, and charge forward again, nailing him in the side of the face. The remainder of the party attempted a counterattack, but it proved to be of no prevail. The dragon continued a barrage of bites and scratches at Vincent, cutting his face and hands. It seemed as if this would not be a victorious battle for the team, but a small power inside of Vincent slowly began to rise.  
Instead of falling backward under the dragon's massive weight, he pushed the vicious beast forward. His ebony black hair slowly rose further from his head, and eventually formed two large pointed horns. His hands and clothing molded into a dark purple, which gave way to a thick coat of fur. His delicate hands and feet were replaced by deadly claws, and his face shaped and formed into a gruesome goblin-like creature. His human teeth sharpened, and became terrifying fangs worthy of destroying almost any foe.  
In the midst of his pain and anger, the old Vincent Valentine evaporated and the Gallant Beast was formed. He stood only a few inches higher than his human counterpart, but from one glance one could easily see the vase improvement in strength.  
The Beast stared forward at its prey (whose identity was virtually now of no importance at all), and lunged forward in a series of clawing attacks. The dragon did not even receive an opportunity to attack, for the blows dealt out by the Beast were at such a rapid pace as not to even grant the opponent an opportunity. The remainder of the party watched out of awe and perplexity, and in a few minutes the massive body of the dragon fell to the ground. The petrifying form of Gallant Beast then transformed back into the frail and shadowed Vincent, who collapsed down upon the cold ground of the metal floor.  
_So much for finding yourself, huh?_  
  
-  
  
The church bells in Midgar were ringing loud and clear on the most gorgeous of Sunday afternoons. Vincent was dressed in his finest navy blue suit (the same one he had wore in his service as a Turk), and was sitting in the back row of the sanctuary. While the majority of the small crowd had seated towards the front, it was not particularly an occasion that Vincent was looking forward to. He recognized some of their faces, from the wrinkled grimace of Barret to the pleasant grin of Tifa. There was soft organ music in the background, and flowers had been placed on each pew to make the happy occasion just that tiny bit more wonderful..  
It was not long until the music grew to its greatest volume, and the procession commenced. This particular event was grand and sentimental for most, but for Vincent it only served to add to his despair. Like with Lucrecia, he had been given an opportunity to save her; to make things the way in which he desired. Yet his fear drove him beyond his motivation, and he had never been given the courage to stand up for his own feelings.  
He stared despondently at Aeris as she walked by in her beautiful white gown. She looked almost like an angel of peace and beauty, with white ribbons in her hair and a veil covering her lovely face. However, the veil did not even move an inch upon passing Vincent, for he was not even the slightest of her worries. She did, however, walk the aisle alone, a rarity for occasions in this time period.  
About two minutes later, Aeris was followed by the muscular blonde hero; the man that most had said was destined to marry her. Cloud was wearing solid black, with the exception of a white undershirt and flower pinned onto his tuxedo. You could tell his joy in the way he walked, since Cloud had never been one to express his emotions with his attitude.  
As they both approached the altar, Vincent could not help but consider leaving. He wondered if it could have been him at the altar instead of Cloud, and whether or not Aeris would be just as blissful, if not more.  
_Wait,_ he thought to himself, _how am I going to marry her when I barely even know her? I don't even know anything about her...  
_ ..._Then again, I never really tried to learn anything. I guess it's my own fault again, after all._  
A man in light green robes stepped forward before the congregation, and spoke with a booming voice from a small platform.  
"Ladies and gentleman, today we are to witness a merging of spirits and a joining of energies into the sacred Lifestream for eternity. These two individuals standing before us, Mr. Cloud Strife and Ms. Aeris Gainsborough, along with their associates, were single-handedly responsible for the restoration of our planet from both Sepiroth and the vile corporation Shinra. It is then with great pride and pleasure today that I present these two to be wed in front of this audience of friends and family, on this beautiful May afternoon, in the newborn city of New Midgar."  
"First of all, if anyone feels there to be an adequate reason why these two should not be intertwined in marriage, please speak now or never be acknowledged or exposed."  
Upon hearing the minister's statement Vincent commenced to panic in his head. What was he supposed to do, storm in front of the entire congregation and confess his love to a girl that he was certain had no romantic feelings for him? If it had been at any other point and time, the issue would have gone under much harsher consideration, but there was no other point or time; the moment was now.  
Straightening out his suit coat, Vincent jumped to his feet and dashed to the altar without being interrupted. "I, minister, have an adequate reason why these two individuals should not be married, now or ever!"  
"And why is that?" The minister asked with a chuckle. "There seems to be no reason why two people as renowned and heroic as Cloud Strife and Aeris Gainsborough should not be married. It would be a wonderful couple to support the future of the planet." Cloud and Aeris said nothing, and allowed the minister to do the talking for them.  
Vincent responded next, and stated his words defiantly. "I know that they would be a fantastic match, but I cannot exist without thinking of my own future." Vincent wasted no more time, and reached out to snag Aeris's beautiful hand, which she pulled away without hesitation.  
"Aeris," Vincent said softly, "you are my future, not just for tomorrow but for today. I can't see myself living without you. I realize that I have been antisocial and despicable to you for the past year, but that was just to hide my true feelings and weaknesses."  
Aeris was now looking down into Vincent's brown eyes, which were filling with restless sweat and (amazingly) tears. She took little notice in his actual profession of feelings, but instead protested.  
"Then why didn't you ever say anything if you cared so much, Vincent? I would have been friendlier towards you at least." Cloud was scowling, and was evidently anxious to have the ceremony continue.  
"I know that I did not treat you the way in which you were meant to be treated," Vincent continued, "but there is tragically little I can do about that matter now. All I know is that I love you, Aeris Gainsborough. I love you more than any man ever could, and it is my fondest dream to spend my life with you."  
"Why you son of a—"Cloud jumped to his feet and immediately threw a punch in the vicinity of Vincent. He was easily able to dodge the attack, and Aeris stood between them to prevent any further violence.  
Aeris's own green eyes were flowing with tears, and she placed her delicate hands on Vincent's shoulders.  
"Vincent, at one time I did love you, but I never received any signs back as to what our relationship was. You would never admit any feelings to anyone, and I couldn't be with someone that wouldn't even talk to me. I'm sorry, Vincent, but I have fallen in love with Cloud now and we're getting married. I hope that you'll stay and..."  
Aeris was unable to finish her sentence, because Vincent had already stormed out the back door of the church and into the heat of a beautiful spring day.  
_And I suppose you desire to be pitied.  
_  
-  
  
Vincent awoke inside of a cave much darker and dejected then his previous enclosure, and could barely even make out the concerned faces of Red and Cait Sith looking at him from above.  
"Vincent, are you okay? We couldn't figure out for the life of us what happened to you in that battle with the dragon. If you were a normal person you would probably be dead."  
Looking up at Cait Sith, the dilapidated gentleman scratched his own forehead, for he could not even recall the events of the battle himself.  
"I don't know what happened; the last thing I remember was being attacked by the dragon and falling to the ground. How did we end up here?"  
Red tugged Vincent up with his mouth, and also helped to answer his inquiry. "During the battle, it looked as if you would certainly die when you suddenly transformed into a monstrous purple creature. You attacked the dragon repeatedly by swiping at it, and eventually it fell to the ground in passing. You don't have knowledge of any of this?"  
"No. No I don't." Vincent was almost prepared to sit down again, for he was so shocked at Red's description. "Even with our Materia, it is impossible for one person to humanly transform into another creature."  
"Trust us, though; you did," Cait Sith added. "I've seen all sorts of people in the time I've been at Gold Saucer, but not once have I seen anything quite like that."  
The idea of him undergoing transformations was incredibly frightening, so he attempted to dismiss it from his mind. However, deep inside his own thoughts, he knew it was Hojo that forced him to undergo such terrible alterations.  
It must have been part of his experimentations; he thought to himself, what else did he do to me?  
It would have been a waste of time to pester his fellow two party members with questions that only one man could answer, so Vincent kept the incident close in thought, and knew that the moment he confronted Hojo he would discover the truth.  
"So," Vincent said lightly in hopes to defer his mind, "you still haven't answered my question as to how we arrived in this dark cave."  
Cait Sith's cat figure chuckled lightly while the Mog arms swung back and forth. "Hey, Red has lived around mountains his entire life. We were able to carry you out of the dragon chamber and find a nearby cave to take refuge in. We have been here for about ten hours, so Red and I have taken turns keeping watch."  
Vincent touched his own skin, and was ultimately surprised to feel no pain from the previous battle. How could his own battle wounds heal so quickly? Like his transformation, it was humanly impossible.  
"Well, it would probably be good for us to be on our way." He wanted to leave as little time as possible for personal thought, so his question came quick and unexpected.  
"So, were do we go from here?" Red asked politely.  
"Well, if we are in the location in which you described, it should not be altogether far until we are out of the mountains. After leaving that chamber, there were only a few more hills to cross." The party exited the cave in a matter of seconds, and was stunned temporarily by the blinding light of the morning Sun.  
"I wouldn't be surprised if Aeris and Barret are ahead of us now, considering the length of our break," Red added humorously.  
Vincent realized that this was the perfect opportunity to work the girl into the conversation, especially since he was not even the first to mention her name. He had not wished to seem desperate, and did not even desire to create suspicion among his fellow travelers. After all, he barely even knew the girl, even though he had searched for her kind much of his own life.  
He hesitated at first, but choked out the question without making it sound too awkward. "I was noticing while we were stopped with the whole group earlier that Cloud and Aeris kept exchanging glances."  
Cait Sith shrugged his Mog shoulders in disbelief, while Red was much more inclined to respond. "You know, Cloud is one of the most peculiar human beings that I have seen when it comes to relationships. He has expressed interest in both Aeris and Tifa, without ever committing to either one. It must be frustrating for the two women, that is certain, to be as hesitant as to their mate's interests."  
"So you are saying that they're not really together, then?"  
"No, of course not. I can understand Cloud's difficulty in selecting the perfect girl, but they are both so beautiful that if I was him I would have made a decision in a heartbeat. I guess because of his lack of decisiveness, though, they are both single and open to other men. Why the sudden curiosity, if I may ask?"  
"I don't know," Vincent replied with a shrug. "I'm just attempting to make some petty conversation for the trip. Over the years I have discovered that loneliness will inevitably lead to darkness, and I do not wish to suffer alone again." The party pushed themselves further to the final peak of the trail, and Vincent turned back to his dog-like associate.  
"So do you know what kind of people Aeris is interested in?"  
Red laughed boldly upon hearing this question, and his furry mane shook back and forth. "How am I supposed to know? I'm no judge of human behavior."  
"And yet you were able to give me a deep analysis of Cloud's romantic connections with two different women."  
Red continued to laugh to himself, while Cait Sith lugged behind in an attempt to catch the joke. Vincent took one last step up the mountain, and he could finally begin the descent. With the hope of Aeris's "questions" ahead of him (as subtle or insignificant as they could be), they were motivation enough to keep the weakened man upon his feet. The road ahead was now in plain view.  
"Well, we're almost there."  
He pointed down to the ground, and the green grass of the meadows below had never appeared so inviting.

Note: As always, thanks for reading, and I'll see you again in about a week with a new chapter.


	3. An Eternity from Here

Note: Once again I have to thank my reviewers for reviewing. Some readers had some interesting questions, and I hope this chapter helps to clarify. As always, thanks for reading!

_An Eternity from Here  
  
You can only live in darkness for so long.  
_ Looking up into the horizon, Vincent now had a clear view of the enormous rocket standing about a mile away. While at one time Shinra's plans for space travel seemed bright and optimistic, the rocket appeared to have never even been utilized. It was so drastically tilted to one side that he was surprised that it hadn't fell to the ground.  
"Does anyone recall the name of this town?" Vincent asked while continuing to move forward. The grass upon his feet was comforting, and seemed like layers of pillows compared to the rocky terrain of Mt. Nibel.  
Cait Sith jumped forward, and spoke knowledgably (almost as if it was pleased to be of some use to the group). "I believe they call it Rocket Town. If my memory serves me correctly they renamed it when the launch pad was built here a few years back."  
"That's right," Vincent said in accordance. "This town was one of the places that Shinra was considering building the launch site at. Being as it was so isolated from the rest of the world, a rocket could be launched here without any major damage to anything that they constructed. Now as for the environment, they didn't care."  
"They never have," Red interrupted coldly, yet glad to have put his input into the conversation.  
"At the time this place was known as Wayward Town, since only wayward travelers would ever desire to come here. With the rocket present, I would not be surprised if they received great multitudes of visitors to look at Shinra's great "accomplishment"". Vincent scratched his head, and wiped his locks of ebony hair away from his face. "I wonder why exactly we have chosen to stop here, though. Other than rest, it seems that there is very little this town can offer us."  
As the group continued forward, the buildings of Rocker Town began to be more apparent from the green background. The houses were old-fashioned and wood-furnished, and Vincent even noticed white picket fences surrounding a great many of them. In some ways, the peacefulness of the town reminded him of Kalm, without the clutter of buildings and manmade blue walkways. The town was well-organized, and you can tell the identity of each building simply be reading the signs located above each household.  
The rocket, however, was even more moribund than Vincent initially perceived. Along with the noticeable tilt, the rocket had developed long lines of rust along each side. There was moss growing on its bottom, and seemed to be much more of an ancient artifact than a modern marvel.  
It took about five more minutes for the group to enter the settlement, where they were happily greeted by the townspeople. It was still early in the afternoon, so most of the population was enjoying life in the summer sun.  
"Good day, travelers! Welcome to Rocket Town, the village of hopes and dreams!"  
"If there is anything you need to know about the rocket or the buildings, please feel free to ask!"  
"Hey," Vincent said calmly, tapping a chubby townsperson on the shoulder rather than tugging on his long beard, "have you seen a man with spiky hair dressed in purple?"  
"Was he with two girls, both younger and more attractive than him?"  
Cait Sith laughed heartily, and Vincent had to contain his chuckles while nodding his head. "Yes, that would be correct. Now could you please disclose to me their whereabouts?"  
"Oh yeah, sure," that fat man pleasantly responded. "They were heading towards the Twin Wings Inn, which is just to your right. Just go in and ask the innkeeper about them, and I'm sure they'll direct them to you. Just be sure not to get Bertha, since she can be kinda grumpy on summer afternoons. She hates the heat."  
"Thanks." Vincent then motioned for the group to follow him, and they walked over to the Twin Wings Inn, a large, one-story building that had the identical wooden exterior as the rest of the town. In all honestly, it did not seem too intelligent for people near a rocket to dwell in wooden homes.  
_Oh well, at least the townspeople are nice enough,_ he thought to himself while opening up the green-painted door of the inn.  
Upon entering the warm, cozy tavern a portly woman in a white apron jumped in front of the group.  
"Hold it right there, you three; this is a high-class establishment and we do not allow animals inside these doors. If you want to keep him (while pointing at Red), I would suggest leaving him outside."  
"I bet for five hundred Gil I can get you to change your mind." Vincent slipped some money onto the counter, which the lady quickly inspected with her grubby hands while nodding her head harshly.  
"All right you can stay, but I better not see any dog droppings in this hotel, or it'll be your head!"  
"Oh do not worry, ma'am, you will not," Red stated politely, placing his front paws upon the counter. "I have been housetrained ever since I was two years of age." The group walked onward to the next room and ignored the obnoxious attendant, who had fainted on the red carpet floor.  
"That must have been Bertha," Red stated humorously while the group passed into a new section of the inn.  
This particular room was designed to be a lounge area, decorated with leather chairs and elegant rugs imported from the nearby island of Wutai. Much to Vincent's surprise, the remainder of the group was already sitting amongst the leather seats, quietly mingling while eating some fish provided by the inn. Barret was the first to notice their arrival, looking up from his meal and speaking with a mouthful of fish meat still in his mouth.  
"Hey look, the three weird ones have shown up! Where y'all been? You had us worried as hell!"  
Vincent bowed to the party (who were now all looking up in relief at the arrival of their friends) and spoke representing the group. "My apologies for being late; we ran into some slight difficulties in the mountains, and I required a significant amount of rest in order to sustain my energy."  
"Oh, it's fine," Tifa replied pleasantly, sipping a small cup of hot tea. "We've just been relaxing here for a few hours, waiting for you three. Cloud went with Barret and me up to a house north from here and we found a plane. We want to borrow it, but a lady in the house named Shera said we would have to talk to the captain."  
"So have you talked to him already?"  
"No, not yet," Cloud stated back to him. "We wanted to wait until we heard something from you guys before we started thinking about getting out of here. Having a plane at our disposal would help us to get just about anywhere we needed to go, so I don't see any problem in trying to borrow it. We have a good bit of Gil with us that we found in the mountains, so we may even pay for it if we need to."  
The three new arrivals shook their heads in agreements, and Vincent took a seat in the far corner of the lounge (Red rested on the floor, and Cait Sith had no problem with standing). The room became silent for a few minutes, the mumbles of small conversations notwithstanding. This period of silence caused Cloud to grow quite impatient, and quickly he rose to his feet and stretched his relatively muscular arms.  
"All right, since we are all now here, I'm going to take Tifa and Barret with me over to the rocket north of here. That's where Shera said the captain would be located. Feel free to wander around the town to your heart's content, and we'll come find you in an hour or two." The three of them departed out the front door, and the remaining five individuals sat facing one another in the lounge. Red fell asleep in just a few minutes (along with Yuffie, who had been asleep since before Vincent's arrival for some reason). Cait Sith was motionless next to the fireplace, which seemingly left him alone with the beautiful and elusive Aeris, who looked as if she had not weathered any journey at all. After such a grueling expedition to Rocket Town, Vincent was surprisingly not tired, and he quickly found himself immersed in light conversation with the enchanting Ancient female.  
"So, was Barret any less obnoxious on your journey here than he was Nibelhelm? He doesn't necessarily seem like a very tolerable gentleman."  
Aeris chuckled to herself lightly, and crossed one of her legs over the other. Vincent was tempted to look towards the bottom of her dress to see any hint of her impeccable skin, but he avoided making himself out to be impetuous.  
The beauty spoke pleasantly, almost as if there was not a true problem in the world.  
"Barret's really not too bad of a guy once you're around him for a while. He just gets frustrated easy because he's been through a lot. Shinra has been horrible to him over the years, so he gets kind of judgmental when he gets around someone previously affiliated with them. Tifa said it took him forever to warm up to Cloud."  
In just being around Aeris, Vincent began to feel much more lively and sociable; so much that one could almost detect laughter in his voice. "My supervisors in the Turks used to throw fits about him. He was always staging rallies up in Corel to keep us from building the reactor."  
"How long were you with Shinra?"  
"Almost two years, even though it feels like much longer. When you work for a company so obsessed with secrets, you can learn an amazing amount of information in just a short period of time."  
"Yeah, I would suspect so." Aeris was running one of her smooth fingers across her lip, a sign that she was nervous for some reason.  
Vincent became so entranced in her subtle movements that he lost his own concentration. It was an unusual feeling for him that he had never experienced; every twitch of her eye, every movement of her hand; they were all mesmerizing to him. He had to snap himself out of his hypnosis before he could even conjure what he wanted to say. Until that point in the conversation, he had even forgotten Aeris's words from the day before.  
"When we were talking yesterday, you said that you had some questions that you wanted to ask me."  
"Yes, I did." Aeris flipped her luscious brown hair away from her face and gazed into Vincent's eyes, for the first time making full eye contact with him. This revelation surprised Vincent initially, but he remained calm and waited for Aeris's response.  
"When I found out that you used to work for Shinra there were so many things I wanted to ask you about, whether it concerned my mother or me." She glanced around the room at her fellow sleeping comrades, and turned back to Vincent in his chair. "Would you be okay with walking around outside to finish our conversation? I'm starting to feel uncomfortable in this small lounge."  
Vincent, of course, had no objection to Aeris's request, so the pair quickly found themselves outside again in the windy heat. For early summer it was a fairly nice day, since neither individual could feel any traces of sweat forming on their foreheads as of yet.  
They were walking along a path in the center of the town, Vincent moving with his arms crossed and Aeris stretching, giving the former Turk added incentive to make eye contact. He didn't completely understand how the girl became so beautiful, especially since neither Ifalna nor Professor Gast were exactly attractive themselves.  
"So Vincent, tell me about my mother. I'm sure it must be annoying for you to be pestered like this, but I can barely remember anything about her. Was she nice?"  
There was answer he had prepared in his head before time, since in actuality this was a question he was certain Aeris would ask. In truth he only talked to Ifalna two or three times, but he at least wanted it to seem as if he knew her fairly well. Therefore, he had decided to take all material from one of his only real encounters with her.  
"Ifalna was brought to Headquarters about a year after I first became enlisted in the Turks. She was kept in a plastic prison on the sixty- seventh floor..."  
"...much like the one I was kept in, right?"  
"Right. It was a rare opportunity for a low-level Turk to visit the higher floors of Shinra, so I was excited one day when my superior, Tseng, gave me an opportunity to deliver some research up to Professor Hojo, who had just been promoted for some reason to Head of the Science Department. I walked into Hojo's main laboratory to discover that he wasn't there, so I placed the documents on his desk. Your mother was sitting in the plastic prison, sniffling rather than crying."  
"She looked up as I walked by, and I think she might have been excited about seeing any face other than the sinister one of the professor. She asked me who I was, and I responded. I was from the Turks, and did not have any real business with her now she was in Shinra's possession. It was not my wish to appear harmful to her, however."  
Aeris followed Vincent stride be stride, and helplessly threw her arm on his shoulder as they continued to walk forward. "So did she say anything to you?"  
"She asked me what I was doing working for such despicable people," he replied tragically. "At the time I was twenty years old and clean-cut, so she thought I should be working in a more honest business."  
"I told her that working for Shinra allowed me to see the world; that it did not have as much to do with the money as it did with the experience. She looked up at me with the same beautiful green eyes that I see in you, and told me that it wasn't worth it. Every time Shinra performed any operation, whether it was building reactors or turning on a simple light bulb, we were destroying part of the planet. At the time I didn't even believe her."  
This truthful statement on Vincent's part almost brought out a change in the flower girl. Her eyes lowered slightly to the ground, and her voice was lower and more serious  
"You didn't?"  
"No, and it was impractical of me not to believe her. For some reason I thought that if the planet had survived for as long as it had that there was no way one company could single-handedly destroy it."  
"You didn't say that you didn't believe her, did you?"  
"I kept it to myself, since I figured there was no point in making her any more miserable than she already was. I told her that I was sorry for what Hojo was doing, and left. She told me I could change things for the better, but I ignored her. She was a brilliant woman, but at the time I was too brainwashed to identify the genius within her. She was nicer than anybody else affiliated Shinra; that is certain."  
The two of them had reached an item shop on the northwest corner of town, and Aeris took the opportunity to sit down while finishing the conversation. She invited Vincent to sit with her, and he acquiesced.  
Aeris, now looking up at the clouds and the nearby rocket, spoke again in a somewhat serious tone.  
"So she never mentioned the Promised Land to you?"  
Vincent shook his head in disdain. "I'm sorry, she did not. We were very unsuccessful in extracting any information from her, about the Promised Land in particular. She would have rather died than tell us anything, which kind of explains how she disappeared from the facility shorter after that due to "experimental purposes". Had I known that I would be the next victim of the experiments I would have heeded her advice."  
There was a brief pause in the conversation before Aeris spoke again, placing her hands together in her lap. "You see, part of what I'm attempting to do with everyone here is to guide us to the Promised Land before Shinra gets there; that way we can stop them." Upon speaking her next line, she lowered her head down, hiding her eyes and making her hair dangle before Vincent. "The problem is that I have no idea as to where to look for the Promised Land. We're just following Sepiroth, hoping he gives us some sort of clue."  
Being not of Cetra blood (even though he had studied them for many years), Vincent had a taxing time in attempting to answer to Aeris's doubts, but he lowered his head to the same level and continued.  
"Aeris, do you sometimes hear the voices of the Planet inside of you?"  
A small tear on her cheek reflected in the sunlight, and she rose her face up again to its resting position.  
"I do occasionally, but there are so many voices in the Lifestream it becomes hard for me to understand."  
Feeling as if he could finally be of some help, he placed a frail but comforting hand on the beauty's shoulder, looking close into her eyes.  
"The answer is in those voices, Aeris; it has to be. Keep believing in yourself, and eventually you will find that one voice that reveals the truth to you. You are the key to our survival on this planet, and I know that if anyone can save us, it is you." Vincent did not fully understand the motives of either Sepiroth or Shinra, but he enjoyed the notion of being comforting to someone else. When it came to it, Aeris could very well be critical to the way in which the future played out.  
Aeris was somewhat relieved in hearing Vincent's response, and she smiled sweetly at him without shifting her eyes in any true direction.  
"Thank you for your support, Vincent. I know I can find the answer if I just keep looking for it. At least I have someone that fully believes in me." Vincent nodded his head, and Aeris unexpectedly wrapped her arms around him, releasing them after just a second. A hug was something that Vincent had not experienced since ages before he was even put to rest, and it was one of the most wonderful sensations he had ever felt. Aeris's arms were as smooth as ivory, and yet at the same time warm and inviting. At that time he wished to do nothing than to embrace again, but he knew that would be improper to do such a thing, especially in his present situation as an outsider in the group.  
After the brief exchange, Aeris tilted her head to one side and spoke again in a pleasant and melodious manner. "Hey, I have to do some item shopping before I leave. Do you want to join me?"  
There was such a strong and burning desire inside of him to accompany her on her excursion, but the longing for sleep was even greater. Even though he was improving when it came to staying awake, he still was weak and grew weary in a short period of time. Aeris would still be there when he awoke, and he could spend as much time with her as he desired to then.  
So, dejectedly, Vincent shook his head in declination. "I'm sorry; I should probably go back to the inn for some rest. I am unsure as to when we're stopping again once we leave here, so it would be beneficial for me get some rest."  
Aeris politely smiled in reply, and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're probably right. I'll talk to you in a little while, okay?"  
"Okay."  
Vincent had already risen to his feet, but Aeris tapped on his shoulder to encourage him to turn around one more time.  
"Hey, I have one more question?"  
"What's that?"  
Aeris shifted her gorgeous body back and forth, almost like an anxious little girl waiting for her birthday cake.  
"Do you really think my eyes are beautiful?" She giggled lightly upon asking this question, thinking that it was likely a childish thing to ask.  
Vincent actually laughed lightly in response, and let a smile come across his lips.  
"Yes, I do," he stated in reply. "You have the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen."  
"You're so sweet," she replied kindly. "We'll have to talk again sometime."  
Aeris touched his shoulder, and then walked inside the Item Shop, waving with one hand as she opened the door.  
Letting his hair blow back into the wind, he figured it would probably be best for him to depart now, as well. His feet trudged slowly back to the somewhat cozy quarters of the Twin Wings Inn, and in a brief matter of time he found himself lying on a comfortable bed (something he had not slept on in ages).  
He was honestly surprised with how much he enjoyed his conversation with Aeris. He had never been regarded in any way as a sociable person, and it was one of the only conversations he actually spoke for any considerable period.  
He could not completely erase the beautiful flower girl from him mind, and thoughts of her were omnipresent as Vincent closed his eyes and fell into necessary sleep.  
_You cannot erase the pain by covering it._  
  
-  
  
Vincent was still getting accustomed to the clicking of his black slacks against the linoleum floor of Shinra Headquarters. It was only his second day in uniform, so one could easily identify his apprehension as he scooted from floor to floor, listening to his shoes' peculiar clamor.  
The main office of Shinra's Special Forces, the Turks, was located on the twenty-first floor of the building, so it was quite a strenuous task for Vincent in making it to his destination from the rafters of the fifty-fifth story. The elevator continuously halted itself to pick up and drop off other employees, so it took almost half and hour before he finally arrived at the high-security entrance to the Turks' offices. A giant metal door blocked his way into his desired location, so he approached it to set off the sensor camera.  
Upon his arrival, a mechanical voice spoke monotonously from above.  
"Welcome to the Turks. Please state your identification password." Each member of the Turks (along with high-ranking corporate executives) had a specific password in order to enter the offices, and the machines were voice-activated to ensure that only the specified individuals entered the facility.  
Vincent spoke loud and in an articulate manner, the way in which Tseng had instructed him to speak when reciting his password:  
"Sweetheart."  
There was a brief pause while the security system processed his statement, and the mechanical voice spoke again while the metal barricade rose up from the ground.  
"Welcome, Vincent. Your office is straight and then to the right. Have a nice day." Many of his associates in the Turks found great humor in Vincent's last name, so they had determined that "Sweetheart" would be an appropriate password for him to be identified by. He didn't necessarily care about using it as his password, but most of his fellow Turks even referred to him as "Sweetheart" rather than his actual name.  
Vincent strolled through the carpeted hallways of the Turk Headquarters, scooting past secretaries and fellow members, but walked straight back to the office of his superior instead of his own.  
Tseng was sitting casually at his desk, chatting with one of his other newcomers, a sturdy man by the name of Reno. Reno was from Costa del Sol, a beautiful resort town on the western continent. He was undoubtedly the ladies' man of the Turks, since he was both dark and muscular. Unfortunately, he was also a considerable jerk.  
"Hey there Sweetheart, have fun with your little errands?" Reno stated with a chuckle. Tseng frowned at Reno's arrogance, and sent him away from his office to investigate a possible bomb threat in the Slums. He then turned his attention back to Vincent, who had taken his seat upon a leather cushion in the office's corner.  
Tseng was by far Vincent's favorite associate in the Turks, and was the only member of the group that seemed to have any sort of conscience. The only other veteran member he had come in contact with was Rude, and he was perceived as little other than an ignorant drunk. Tseng was much more of a father figure, one who cared about the general welfare of his employees but at the same time wanted his assignments to be completed. He was a significant bit taller than Vincent, so he was forced to look upwards while his superior spoke.  
"Hello there, Vincent. Did you finish transferring the copies of the Mako Poisoning incident into the Accomplished Missions?"  
Vincent adjusted his thin tie (one in which he was not accustomed to wearing as of yet), and nodded his head in confirmation. "Yes, and Lena sends her regards."  
"Oh, good," Tseng replied, crackling his fingers against his lacquered wooden desk. "Well, it seems as if we have put you through all of our necessary errands. Tell me, Vincent, when was the last time you went to a weight room and exercised?"  
It took a moment for Vincent to comprehend the question, for it was one in which he was not expecting to hear. He responded after a moment, sputtering with his low-pitch voice.  
"Um...I nev—I haven't ever, sir. People in Kalm have little fascination with becoming physically strong; it was their belief that a sharp mind could be more powerful than any muscle or weapon."  
"Well it still doesn't hurt to get into shape," Tseng replied defiantly with a devious grin upon his face. "Why don't you come with me to the exercise room on the sixty-sixth floor? It will do you some good, trust me."  
Vincent could not decline an order from his own superior, so he soon found himself surrounded by exercise bikes and barbells, removing his suit coat and tie as to not be inhibited in his exercise.  
"Feel free to use whatever equipment you choose, Vincent; I bet you'll feel a good bit better by the time you finish up. I always prefer the exercise bikes, simply because it gets your leg muscles built up to run faster and jump higher." Vincent was really uncertain as to why Tseng took such a special interest in him and not other members of the Turks, especially since he was neither strong nor experienced in covert operations. Maybe in some way Tseng pitied him for living such a lonely childhood and wanted him to feel accepted, or he could just be trying to get him on par with the rest of his employees. One could not truly ascertain, so Vincent made little fuss over the matter and climbed onto an exercise bike.  
After only about five minutes of steady pedaling Vincent saw an individual enter the exercise room that was much different than any other employee he had encountered in the entire building (or even the entire world, for that matter). She was beautiful beyond all traces of the imagination, with silky ebony hair and dark brown eyes that shot out to Vincent, making him desire to be closer, to see deeper into those eyes to unravel her greatest of mysteries. The woman's face was smooth and pretty; there was not one part of her body that seemed strange or out of place. She swayed gracefully past the pair in tight blue pants and a white t-shirt, and then disappeared out the back exit towards the Locker Room. Vincent almost had the initiative to follow her back, simply in order to glance at her beauty even longer.  
Upon her departure from the room, Vincent wasted no time in attempting to discover the ravishing female's identity.  
"Tseng, that woman...who is she? I've never seen anything quite like her...in so many ways." Vincent spoke almost as if he was in hypnosis, for his voice was monotonous and he did not even make eye contact with his counterpart.  
Upon hearing such a desperate question from his youngest recruit, Tseng shook his head in despair. He had seen so many members of his organization become enthralled in this woman before, all of which to become heartbroken and angry. He almost decided to lie to Vincent, simply to prevent him from being another victim of the woman's beautiful but elusive form.  
"The woman is Lucrecia," replied Tseng, halting himself on the exercise bike to continue speaking. "She is a field researcher for the Science Department, and one of the best ones that Shinra has ever had. More than likely she has been working here for about as long as you have been in existence, my friend."  
Vincent looked back in perplexity, almost not comprehending the words that Tseng had spoken to him. "Wait...there's no way that woman could have worked here for that long. She looks just as young as me...and three times more beautiful."  
Tseng motioned for Vincent to approach him at his exercise bike, and then the Turk leader crouched his head low and spoke softly.  
"Listen, Vincent; Lucrecia is forty years old, and already has a teenage son by the name of Sepiroth. I am only telling you this just to keep you from being miserable later on; stay away from her or you'll find yourself in trouble. Every single person that has fallen in love with her over the years has either vanished or quit Shinra altogether. I know that she is gorgeous, but it's just not worth it. There are some castles in this world that were never meant to be conquered."  
Despite Tseng's calm and insightful manner with the issue, Vincent quickly grew angry at his generalizations. He stepped away from his superior, and went to retrieve his coat and tie.  
"Trust me, Tseng, just because you were not able to have her doesn't mean I will fail! I don't need you telling me how to live my life; you are my boss, not my psychiatrist! Now if it is okay with you, I would like to go back to my office." Tseng attempted to comment further, but Vincent had already opened the elevator door and pressed the button marked "twenty- one". He didn't need Tseng to tell him what to do; he could get Lucrecia as easy as he wanted to.  
If only things had been as easy as he thought them to be. In spite of his efforts, Vincent found himself no longer affiliated with Shinra after just two years. He had disappeared from the world, without Tseng or anyone else inclined to find him. His undying love for one woman had destroyed the entire world in which he knew and existed in.  
_ You know, history can have a tendency to repeat itself._

-

"Hey, get your sorry ass outa bed! We gotta hurry to get to this plan done with before Shinra does!"  
Vincent was tired and groggy after his two-hour nap, and it took some pushing and shoving by Barret to get him outside of the inn. Luckily he was so exhausted that he slept in all clothing (including his shoes), so making the transition outside was a fairly simple process. It was about five in the evening outside, but Vincent received little an opportunity to observe his surroundings for he was beckoned to move forward by Barret.  
"Come on, you can't be that dead! Shinra's here and we're trying to take the plane here before they get their nasty little hands on it!"  
"Wait, Shinra is here? Does that mean Hojo..."  
"Damn, would you forget about that guy!" Barret ordered while continuing to run forward to a house on the northeast end of town, "Hojo ain't even here so you trying to find him won't do any good!"  
The pair busted into the front door of the house to find a petit woman stirring a pot of tea. Her voice was squeaky and soft, but seemed to pack a decent punch in moments of such urgency.  
"Hurry to the back, you two! The captain and the others are starting up the plane!" The woman paused for a moment while looking back at Vincent with a strangle glance. "Wait, I don't seem to recognize you. Are you with everyone else?"  
"Yes. My name is Vincent Valentine. My occupation is...never mind." Barret was attempting to hurry him along, but he wanted to at least have the common courtesy to meet the woman whose home he was charging through.  
"Well my name is Shera," the woman replied, softly and much more sweetly than before. Vincent had almost forgotten about the situation at hand through his kindness, and Barret was forced to shove him through the back door into the backyard.  
Outside the home stood a small propelled airplane, pink and blue in color. Compared to some of the grand aircrafts he has seen in the past it was unimpressive, but it proved amazing for a privately-owned aircraft. The words "Tiny Bronco" were engraved on one side, so he implied that to be its name.  
Vincent looked up to the wings of the airplane to find Cloud and Tifa waving at him to climb up the tail of the plane.  
"So what are we planning on doing?" he asked as he was shoved over to the right wing and tied down with rope.  
"We're keeping those lying Shinra bastards from stealing my plane, that's what we're doing!"  
The response came from a man sitting in the cockpit with pilot's goggles over his head. His hair was gray and dirty, and he somehow managed to smoke a cigarette while igniting the thrusters to take off.  
The engines stuttered and hummed loudly, and Vincent looked around at Barret, Aeris, and Red, who were calmly awaiting the departure of the plane. He attempted to scream out to them to see their reasoning behind such rash actions, but the plane lifted off of the ground before he had an opportunity.  
There were bullets and rockets firing at them left and right, and the pilot swerved the plane backwards and forward to avoid being struck by the powerful weaponry. Vincent now felt extremely fortunate to have been tied to the airplane, for he would probably be plummeting into the ocean at that very moment. It was still not an altogether joyous occasion for Yuffie, who was vomiting in every direction as the plan shifted directions in the air.  
It was only shortly after this that the party felt a rocket strike the tail of airplane, causing the back engine to explode and the ropes surrounding Aeris (who was placed towards the back since she was among the lightest) to be mangled and destroyed. Aeris fell backwards, and grasped hold of the warped metal of the airplane's end simply to keep from falling. She screamed in peril, realizing that she would not be able to hold on very long. The pilot was pulling the plane upward as fast as he could, engaging in a lexicon of abhorrent profanity all the while.  
Vincent was barely able to talk amidst the cacophonous noise, but he yelled over to Red, who was lying directly to the right of him.  
"Quick, bite off the rope over my hands! I can stretch out and grab her!" Red quickly performed Vincent's request, biting the ropes and freeing him enough to reach out behind him. His frail body against the wind made it difficult for him to maneuver, but he really had no choice other than to attempt such a daring task. Being part of a group on a seemingly hopeless mission Aeris was his only reason for continuing onward, and without her this undertaking would be even more futile.  
He fiddled with the pieces of the Tiny Bronco as he turned backwards, and he was eventually able to reach Aeris's hands at the tail. He had to press himself close to the frame to keep from falling, but he continued forward until he was able to grasp the inside of her palms.  
Barret grabbed hold of the bottoms of Vincent's feet, and the added strength helped as they felt confident enough now to save her.  
"Okay, Aeris!" Vincent yelled against the torrential wind. "I need you to lunge forward as best as you can and we'll pull you up!"  
"1...2...3!"  
Barret yanked backwards with all his might, causing both Aeris and Vincent to fall directly into his lap. Their moment of celebration was brief, as the pilot could not keep the plane from capsizing towards the water below.  
"Damn! We're going to crash into the ocean! Hold on, everybody!" The group huddled close together in the center of the framework, and the airplane crashed deep into the water, causing everyone to be submerged.  
_It looks like I've finally reached the end,_ Vincent thought to himself as he attempted to swim back up to the surface. _Even my rescue of Aeris was worthless, for she's going to die now with the rest of us._  
However, the group was amazed to discover that they were being pushed back to the surface by something large. It seemed as if their death was evident, but the Tiny Bronco rose back up the ocean's surface, still carrying eight of the party's members aboard. Red was thrown a greater distance than anyone else in the crash, but was able to swim back towards their pristine watercraft.  
The pilot was more surprised than anyone at the Bronco's newest innovation, for he was throwing his hairy arms in the air while shaking the layers of water off of him.  
"Holy hell! Whoever thought this plane could float?"  
After a few minutes everyone had taken a seat on the paneling of the plane, while the pilot now attempted to figure out the Bronco's buoyancy in the ocean.  
Now that everyone was in a relaxed position, Vincent looked up at the party's various members.  
"So can anyone tell me now why we were so hasty in departing? And who is this pilot, anyway?"  
The pilot answered the question himself, speaking in a booming and arrogant manner.  
"My name is Cid Highwind, native of Rocket Town and who should have flown into space by now! The goddamn Shinra was trying to steal away the Tiny Bronco from me, and I sure as hell wasn't going to give it to them after how they screwed me over with the Space Program! I've been around here for fifteen freaking years..."  
"I was talking with Cid on the rocket and we figured that since we both had similar motives that we would go with him," Cloud interrupted. "We were going to use the Tiny Bronco to get an edge on them, but it looks like we'll still be moving pretty slowly."  
Vincent no longer became the focus of the conversation, and Cid glanced back to Cloud, who was now lying down on the cold metal framework.  
"So why are you guys fighting the Shinra for, anyway? Did they screw you sometime, too?"  
"Something along those lines," Aeris added after finally catching her breath. "We're actually on a quest to keep Shinra and Sepiroth away from the Promised Land, and to keep them from destroying the planet with their Mako reactors."  
It seemed as if a light bulb appeared over Cloud's head, for he spoke daringly immediately following Aeris's statement.  
"Hey, you're good at dealing with mechanics, so do you want to join us? We could sure use your help driving us around."  
Cid looked completely perplexed, but he spoke anyway in his haughty manner. "Well I don't know what the hell you guys are talking about, but it sounds like fun. Sign me up!" He paused for a moment to examine the group's present situation, and spoke again in a much more serious tone.  
"The Tiny Bronco is probably not going to last very long in the ocean, so we should probably only travel along shorelines. Do you guys have any clue where to go?"  
"Not really," Cloud regretfully replied. "We don't really have any leads as to where Shinra or Sepiroth are heading to next, so let's just head west from here. That seems to be the path in which Shinra is taking."  
"Wutai it is, then!" Cid exclaimed, turning the Bronco with great difficulty and driving it west in the shallow water.  
"So while we head that way, why don't you guys tell me more about this Sepiroth badass you've been chasing."  
  
-  
  
"Here we are, the southern shores of Wutai Island! I guess if we just travel north from here we'll find the city."  
"Not for a long while," Yuffie stated almost out of nowhere. "I'm from this area and Wutai is far north of here. It'll be a god-awful walk." It had transformed to be nighttime, and the thought of traveling in the darkness was not too appealing to many of the party members. Most groaned at thought of wandering at night, but Cloud (creator of most ingenious plans) was able to conjure a decent solution to their present dilemma.  
"Well, why don't we just travel ahead in groups like we do always? I'll head out tonight with Red and Barret, and the rest of you can split up and depart in the morning. This beach seems like a decent spot to sleep, and I assume Cait Sith will keep watch as always."  
"Sure thing, boss!" Cait Sith hopped around excitedly, and seemed to enjoy the responsibility of being the group's watchman.  
"All right, so it's settled then. We will meet up in the town as soon as we all arrive." Cloud waved his silhouetted hand towards the party (and seemed to gaze again at Aeris, who again offered no response but made a simple recognition) and turned to the obscurity of the night. Barret and Red did not seem to mind traveling at night, so the group departed hastily, cutting through fields and up towards the looming mountains ahead.  
It was a silent and rather somber place once the three had departed. The vast majority of the group (including Vincent) was exhausted after such a tedious afternoon and had already found locations on the beach in which to rest. Cait Sith was standing a few feet away, equipped with the majority of their Materia in order to protect all oncoming enemies in the night.  
Vincent had found a location on the northern edge of the beach, a place in which he was unlikely to be splashed by the ocean's water. It did not take him long for his eyelids to get heavy, but he was slightly revitalized when Aeris walked by, still drying out her hair from the incident earlier. Upon reaching Vincent she bent over, smiled lightly, and planted a light kiss on the mysterious man's cheek.  
"Thanks for saving my life earlier," she whispered sweetly. "If there is anything I can do to repay you, I will." Aeris commenced to walk away slowly, her dress moving leisurely against the evening wind, but she halted for a moment to hear Vincent's reply.  
"You've already done enough, Aeris."  
It was unusual for Vincent to sleep under such pleasant circumstances, but for the first time in over a decade he fell asleep a peaceful man. He could see no nightmares in even the darkest of horizons.  
_ If it's vindication you're searching for, it's still a million miles away._


	4. Moving Mountains

Note: Thank you, everyone, for your wonderful reviews. I have taken all suggestions to heart. This was a lengthy chapter that took a good while to write, but I hope you enjoy it all the more for the wait.

_ Moving Mountains  
_  
_So you really think life will be different for us now..._  
"Your drink, Vincent?"  
"Why thank you, Aeris; you're so wonderful to me."  
The afternoon Sun was beginning to descend down upon the waters of Costa del Sol. The summer breeze was warm and inviting, and Vincent for the first time in practically an eternity, felt alive. He was perched upon a reclining beach chair, softly caressing the dainty hand of his new wife with a tropical fruit drink located in his other hand. The two of them had longed to be married for so much of the journey that it almost seemed parallel to fantasy when the occasion finally came. The planet had been rescued, and the couple could finally live together in serenity and happiness.  
Fidgeting his maroon swim trunks to a comfortable position, Vincent looked closely at his prize, who was dressed in a red bikini top and khaki shorts. Her smile was sweet and genuine, for she no longer was forced to be the motivation for anyone else. All she had to do now was live her life the way in which she desired to live it.  
"I cannot believe that I had never wanted to come here until now," Vincent said to his wife with a smile. "Had I known there was such a lovely resort here I would have visited long ago, not just for a honeymoon."  
"Well, you know it's here now, don't you?" Aeris replied, taking her left hand and running it through her husband's now-silky hair. "There is no one else I would rather be here with, either."  
"Not even Cloud?"  
"Especially not with Cloud," she stated with a delightful grin. "He would never take the time to enjoy something like this."  
"I guess not."  
For a moment the conversation faded between the two lovers, and they looked forward at the calm and soothing motion of the water's waves. There was so much beyond their horizon that they could not see, and yet so much that they would be willing to explore together.  
"Vincent, where do you think we will go from here?" Her voice was soft and mysterious, and he could not decipher the true nature of her question through her the way in which she spoke.  
"Well I do not really know, Aeris. I suppose that is what will make it—"  
Vincent had taken a moment to gaze upwards at the stars while he spoke, and then looked back upon his beautiful wife to find her invisible. She had vanished into thin air; he could not even see her running in the distance as she enjoyed doing from time to time. Everyone else remaining on the shore continued their present activities, acting as if nothing had occurred.  
"Aeris! Are you here? Where are you?" Vincent had climbed up to his feet, knocking over beach chairs and running through the embrace of other passionate couples. He had waited this long for happiness and true love, and was sure not going to lose what he had worked so diligently for.  
However, after over thirty minutes of frantic search he realized the quest was futile. He collapsed down into the sand pathetically, sobbing and looking up again towards the stars.  
"Why, damn it! Why do you continue to torture me so? I thought the nightmares were going to stop!"  
_Oh, the nightmares will never stop.  
_ "So is my whole life a charade then? Why did you lie?"  
_Because it's time for us to go._  
"What?" Vincent's hands were lifted up into the night sky, when he suddenly felt two soft hands lift him slightly above the ground. The world around him began to suddenly transform, as well; the cozy beaches of Costa del Sol became the rocky shores of South Wutai Island, and the enchanting sunset evolved into a blinding sunrise. He could now see mountains in the distance, and the smiling face of Aeris directly in front of him.  
"Vincent, it's time for us to leave for Wutai. We kind of have an emergency situation."  
"What's that?" Upon hearing the distressed voice of Aeris he rose quickly to his feet, brushing as much sand from his clothing as he could. His joints were still agitated from the rigorous day before, but he attempted to show no signs of pain as he crossed his arms across his chest.  
"We are going to have to catch Yuffie," Aeris stated defiantly, realizing the present situation and continuing with the conversation. In spite of her petite appearance, she had an inner power built within her that most would not detect.  
Vincent shook out his mass of crooked hair from his forehead and gazed up at the still welcoming sight of Aeris. Even with a present dilemma, seeing that she had not in fact vanished created a warming sensation in his heart.  
"What?" He inquired, trying to sound as concerned as possible under the circumstances. "Where did she run off to?"  
"There's not too much time to explain it now," Aeris replied hastily, lifting the former Turk off of his feet. "Cid knows the way to Wutai, so it's important that we leave right away to make up ground. We're going to have to travel in a large group of five so we don't lose any more time."  
Vincent nodded his head forward, and within a moment the party had commenced moving swiftly towards the mountains ahead. Vincent walked alongside Aeris, while Cid paved the path ahead of him with a trail of cigarette smoke and profanity about "some damn Materia thief making him walk fast". Cait Sith and Tifa loomed behind ominously, and walked without uttering a word. In many ways they were more distant than anyone else in the party (which came as a surprise to an outcast like the former Turk).  
"So Aeris, can you tell me now what's going on with Yuffie?" Vincent was now moving at a steady pace, and felt a small incline in the path ahead. The grass was still soft and green, and was wonderful to run under compared to the torture his feet received upon Mt. Nibel.  
Aeris now had no objections to an explanation, and she thusly offered a lengthy one.  
"We don't really know anything for sure, but I was talking with Tifa earlier this morning and we think that Yuffie waited for us to fall asleep and stole our Materia by night. Luckily for her she slept so much yesterday that she was able to stay awake without any problem at all."  
"So are you saying all of our Materia is gone, even mine?" He slowly drew out his revolver and opened up his handle to find empty Materia slots. They had spoken the truth, and there would be no magic at their disposal until they were able to track down the avaricious thief.  
In response Tifa moved forward and smiled almost cunningly.  
"Yuffie took Materia from every person that had any. I know for some people it will not be too much of a loss, but for heavy magic-users like Aeris and Cait Sith traveling could be a real chore. We'll have to try extra hard to keep watch over them." It was strangely disturbing that Tifa had such a disdainful tone to her voice. What did she have against Aeris, anyway? It likely had something to do with Cloud's affections, so Vincent found it best to keep his mouth quiet for the time being. The journey ahead was long, and there would be plenty of time for conversation.  
It was at this point that a small communicator attached to Tifa's skirt commenced to ring clamorously, and she responded by unclipping the device and moving it to her ear, pausing briefly between sentences..  
"Hey, Cloud. Oh, so she's found you three too, huh? She must have left here pretty early to catch up. Well, she's probably heading for Wutai, since she really can't get anywhere else without the Bronco. We'll slow down a little and look while we head that way. All right? Bye."  
"Wait, where did you get that?" Vincent inquired immediately upon the end of the communication. "That is a Personal Handheld System; they are exclusive property of Shinra, or at least they used to be."  
Tifa laughed lightly at Vincent's jumpiness to such a simple device. "Barret stripped it off a soldier when we were raiding a Mako reactor in Midgar. Why should the Shinra be allowed to have the advantage over us, you know?"  
"It's the way they wanted it," he said with a straight face. "Shinra didn't want any useful technology to get into the hands of the citizens. It is a corporation ran entirely off of fear, so they wanted to keep the groundlings inferior." Some of the party members were uneasy at the labeling of themselves as "groundlings", but it was the truth of the matter; if you didn't have a Shinra badge in the modern world you were next to nothing.  
"Anyway, that was Cloud on the phone saying that they were tricked by Yuffie, too," Tifa proclaimed as the group continued northward on their trail, slowly reaching the peak of the first major mountain. Vincent's feet were not in the least bit sore as of yet, which he found surprising due to his recent struggles.  
Aeris interjected in the conversation, moving slightly backward to make eye contact with Tifa. The Nibelhelm native grimaced lightly at Aeris's continued attempts to "be friends", since there was obviously no chemistry between the two.  
"How was Yuffie even able to catch up to the other three, let alone steal their Materia? She would have had to have left immediately after we fell asleep."  
"She must have," Tifa replied indifferently, "Apparently a group of Shinra soldiers charged into Cloud while they were heading towards Wutai and Yuffie snatched their Materia while they were battling. More than likely she just had a lucky break with those three as opposed to us." Tifa followed Cid closely as they approached a wooden plank bridge nearby, but continued her conversation nonetheless.  
"It's probable that Yuffie is heading towards her hometown, but we should keep an eye out for her along the way. We don't want her coming after our weapons next."  
The group halted in front of the plank bridge, which appeared to be rugged and unstable. It was swinging slightly over a large ravine, where little could be seen at the bottom other than a trickling stream. It definitely seemed to require decent-sized steps to even cross, and it would never be able to hold five people at one time.  
"Looks like we're gonna have to cross it one by one," Cid said arrogantly, somehow feeling that he had taken it upon himself to be the leader. "I hope none of you guys are scared of heights. I know I'm sure as hell ready, so I'll go across before you all piss your pants."  
Cid spit out his cigarette into the ravine and grabbed hold of the ropes to each side of him. He took large, careful steps in the center of the bridge to keep it from swinging or breaking, and found himself on the other side in under a minute. In many ways he performed the task effortlessly, never even taking an opportunity to look down.  
Following his example the remainder of the party followed across the bridge, neither phasing nor losing their focus of the road ahead. Vincent was shaking mildly as he stepped onto the planks, but his slight fear of heights was surmountable enough to make it across in a short period of time. The only member of the group that experienced any real trouble was Cait Sith, who was forced to maneuver his portly Mog body across the bridge slowly and carefully. After about a five-minute period of rest, the group had embarked again towards the isolated city. Aeris was directly at Vincent's left, so he could not refrain himself from gazing over at her periodically. It was strange, but it seemed as if Aeris expected his advances, for she smiled sweetly each time.  
Cait Sith had been relatively quiet for most of the journey, but about ten minutes past the treacherous bridge crossing he spoke defiantly:  
"So if Yuffie returns to Wutai there may be no guarantee that we ever get our Materia back."  
"Why's that?" Aeris asked, tilting her head backward and away from Vincent for a moment.  
"It's simple," Cait replied, tilting his cat body forward atop of his Mog. "If Yuffie's from Wutai than it's likely that the town will try to protect her. Most people are greeted with admiration upon returning to their hometown, especially after accomplishing something. By bringing back that much Materia, she'll have definitely accomplished something."  
"I am not too certain about that," Vincent stated softly to Aeris. "I remember the first time I went back to hometown of Kalm after I departed." Instead of directly addressing the party he preferred to speak with just one individual, especially the one in which he trusted. However, most of the group overheard his brief discussion so he was forced to speak loudly as the group moved forward, crossing uneven mountains and grassy knolls.  
  
-  
  
It was a little over a year until Vincent was able to return to Kalm since his sudden and hasty departure. Thus it felt somewhat peculiar for him to be walking again on the quiet blue stones leading into town square. He had been sent there by Tseng for a brief recruiting mission, so he was forced to wear his customary navy suit and Shinra badge. It had been said that you always felt accepted at home, but Vincent felt strangely uncomfortable walking past the same shops and buildings that he had a year before as an ordinary person. Most of Kalm held Shinra in high disdain, which is why they lived in a quiet atmosphere as opposed to the pollution and commotion of Midgar.  
Only a few minutes after walking past the central fountain of his town Vincent encountered a short, plump man with balding hair and a long, busy, beard. Vincent recognized the man immediately as Bernard, a longtime resident and friend of his father. Bernard worked at the Weapon Shop in the northern sector of town, which was how Vincent was trained at shooting a revolver at such an early age. Bernard had his back turned as the Turk strolled towards him, now with a slight bounce in his step to see someone he often admired as a child.  
"Hello, Bernard! It's me, Vincent Valentine! I am back!" The voice that came out of his mouth was almost childish, for it had a certain energy and excitement to it that had not appeared since many years before.  
Bernard turned around shortly after Vincent's outburst, only to be suddenly somber in demeanor and hunched over. When finding out his friend's son was departing for Midgar, the old man had been one of the only proponents to his cause. Vincent's father was away for business in Bone Village at the time, so he expected Bernard to have explained the decision to his father.  
The aging shopkeeper spoke softly in Vincent's presence, almost as if he was nervous to be speaking with a member of Shinra in front of the apprehensive townspeople. However, this anxiety dissipated quickly as the conversation progressed.  
"Hello there Vincent, it's good to see you again! How have you been?"  
"I've been all right. Working for Shinra has been a new experience and I've been allowed to travel to places I would have never been to otherwise."  
"And what about headquarters? Is it exciting to be in that enormous building with all those high-tech devices?" Bernard moved his arms while he spoke, somewhat exuberant to hear stories to tell at the Bar later.  
"I never really cared for the business aspect of the job too much," Vincent stated softly with a slight chuckle. "Everyone at Shinra is paranoid, and they watch you like hawks the entire time you are in the building. That's why I try to go elsewhere whenever I am given the chance. When the opportunity came for me to come here for recruiting, I was excited to see if anything had changed. How has the town been?"  
Bernard scooted his surprisingly tiny feet across the stones as he talked, rubbing his hands together and frowning noticeably.  
"Well you see Vinny; things have been pretty dismal ever since you took off that one morning. A few weeks later your friend Ester ran away without telling anyone, leaving a note saying she was going to "find herself". Your Pop has only been in town for about a month now. Apparently he had gotten into some gambling problems at the Gold Saucer and spent a year in Corel Prison. He's been pretty much useless since, lying in the Bar and either drinking or talking about drinking. When I mentioned your departure to him he just called you a bastard and asked for another shot of liquor."  
"What? He knew that I was going to get out of here the first chance I had."  
"I guess he didn't think you would actually do it," Bernard replied, motioning back to the secluded area in the back of town. "Well, your Pop is sitting in there right now, so here's your chance to go talk to him about it."  
"I suppose I'll need to. Thanks for everything, Bernard."  
"Not a problem, Vinny. Just be careful where you wave that badge in there. People haven't been taking the word "Shinra" very kindly lately."  
Vincent walked carefully into the dark corridor and into the secluded bar, only to be greeted with a cloud of cigarette smoke and the smell of tobacco and hard liquor. Initially his presence was unnoticed by most of the establishment's residents, but within a few moments a burly man turned around and yelled in a wavering voice.  
"Hey, it's one of them Shinra punks!" There was mass commotion (along with drunken cursing and screaming) in the building, and within a moment or two the owner, a tall individual with a muscular build and a round face, approached Vincent in front of the counter.  
"Hey look buddy; if you're gonna arrest somebody then do it, otherwise you'd be best to get the hell out of here. This place wasn't made for people like you."  
"Let him stay; I know the bastard."  
The voice came from the end of the table, from a stocky man in a faded trench coat. His hair with gray and raggedy, and he wore black gloves to cover his scarred hands. He was dirty and unshaven, and smelled of cheap alcohol. In many ways, Lance Valentine was the polar opposite of his son; he was loud, obnoxious, and ignorant to a point. He had no formal education, and had spent the majority of his lifetime searching for easy money and inexpensive liquor. He wasn't surprised to see that his father was in town, for he typically came back in the summer to see old friends and to ask for spare change.  
Lance grunted grotesquely as his son approached in a systematic fashion. Vincent wasted no time in taking a seat, and the two spent a few minutes exchanging glances without ever exactly saying anything.  
Finally, Lance placed his brawny elbows upon the bar and glared coldly at his son, who showed no signs of being intimidated.  
"Well, word has it that you've been gone for over a year now. You sure as hell had better brought me some cash."  
Vincent grasped in his suit pocket to open up his wallet. For a moment he searched casually, and he pulled out two 1000-Gil notes.  
"Here."  
He laid the bills carefully on the bar, and waited anxiously for his father's response. Lance stared for a moment at the tribute before him, inspecting and examining it and finally, placing it in the pocket of his trench coat. He sneered furiously at the child sitting before him before speaking.  
"You're telling me that you went back on the very lessons I taught you, went and joined the goddamn Shinra, and then after one year all you bring back to me is two thousand Gil! You abandoned me just like your mother, and now you're giving me this bullshit as pay! You're nothing but a despicable miser; you probably spent the rest of my money on hookers in the slums."  
Vincent, while at one time accustomed to his father's anger and bullying, began to become increasingly irate at the hatred in his father's voice. Truly without thinking of his actions, he grabbed the collar of his father's trench coat and threw the drunken man up to his face.  
"Listen to me, you drunkard! Shinra pays for all of my expenses and that is the only money I have earned in the past year for myself! I'm giving all of it to you, even after you abandoned me yourself for most of my childhood to search for your own pleasures! And you wonder why I left for Midgar..."  
"Hey, I will not tolerate you talking to me like that!" Lance struggled to his feet, and within a moment was staring at his son eye to eye.  
"So what are you really doing here, anyway?"  
"I'm here for recruiting, but I took the job so I could stop and see you."  
Lance ignored the affection in Vincent's voice, and quickly seated himself back on the barstool, ordering himself another drink.  
"Well then you've seen me. Now get your ass out of here and recruit then. God, if only you were a girl so I could just tell you to get some guy and screw him out of his money..."  
Vincent stepped out of the Bar more infuriated than he even imagined he would be. He never understood how his father could be so detestable; to not even care about his son's welfare in any sense. To him, it seemed to be all about the money.  
The journey to Kalm had been planned to be about reunion with drifted souls, but the beings Vincent came in contact with drifted even further from him. He didn't even have to recruit in town; for he knew there would be no youths interested in joining the Shinra. The townspeople despised that world of corruption and riches.  
They had been brainwashed that way.  
  
-  
  
"So you haven't talked to your father since that day? We passed through Kalm early in our journey but we didn't meet anyone named Lance."  
Vincent shook his head in negation to Aeris's question while climbing down from the last of the major hills on the path to Wutai. There were nearing the city inch by inch, and would be arriving at their destination by nightfall. The walk had been mildly entertaining with Vincent's unusual storytelling, along with the pleasant scenery of lush meadows and breathtaking waterfalls. The journey to Wutai had been almost similar to a nature hike; the party at one point forgot of their mission at hand to sit in an alcove near a cascade of water. There were very few creatures on the trail, and the few in which they encountered were easily defeated with a few gunshots. There was hardly a need for Materia, let alone another horrific transformation by Vincent. Wutai was now only an hour in walking distance away, and the group was at a higher morale then ever.  
Continuing with the conversation, Vincent stepped forward over a jagged rock and onward to the grassy plains leading to the city. In all honesty, he was surprised that he had the energy remaining to sustain his journey, but he felt no problem in moving forward.  
"I believe it was about two months before I was locked in Shinra Mansion that I last attempted to contact my father. I had felt remorseful over the way I treated him in Kalm so I sent him a letter with the remainder of my salary. I'm not sure if he ever received it or not, for I never was given a reply."  
"So let me get this straight, Cid exclaimed pompously, crossing his arms while he spoke. "Your drunk old man cussed and practically disowned you the last time you walked up to his nasty face, and you still sent him your cash? At that point I probably woulda just went to the Honey Bee and spent it." Cid went on with a rant of how Shinra had promised him a visit to Wall Market one day, but Vincent had toned him out at that point. He did not have to be associated with the pilot for very long before developing a strong dislike for him; he was supercilious and irresponsible, two things in which he held in low regard. Cid was the kind of person that contained no meanings of love and honor; in this respect he may have made the perfect executive for Shinra. Vincent almost restrained himself from speaking, but he could not help against commenting to that level of insolence.  
"I sent him the money because he is my father; he has nothing outside of me. Tell me Cid, whatever happened to your parents? Do you know where they are?"  
"They're lying in a grave east of Rocket Town if you're so curious; they were killed by monsters when they were traveling to Corel to see an old friend."  
Vincent now felt regret again in him for being so hasty in his accusations. Cid was apparently a difficult person to associate with, but that did not necessarily hinder him from being an overall good person.  
"I'm sorry," he replied apologetically. "How long ago was it?"  
"About ten years," Cid stated with little emotion or altercation in his voice. "They were killed a month before I got my pilot's license; I was always talking to them about how I was going to get into the sky someday."  
Aeris could sense the somber demeanor that had suddenly pervaded into the group, so she stepped forward and smiled brightly at her fellow travelers.  
"I suppose we all come from crazy backgrounds, so maybe that diversity is what will make us perfect to beat Shinra! You see, we're going to be the ones that win by being true to ourselves! All of the people we have lost...well they're the ones in the Lifestream cheering us on. They are watching the entire world right now, and they are proud of us for what we're trying to do."  
Cait Sith shrugged forward from the back of the group and again decided to add a small tidbit of input.  
"So even if they have a hard time showing it, I bet we're making them proud."  
"Well what about your family, Cait Sith? You never talk about where you're from." Aeris's emerald eyes were wide with curiosity, and she was obviously fascinated with a history of Mogs and cat-like creatures.  
However, she could be little other than depressed upon hearing his reply.  
"Eh, they're around somewhere." He had little else to say on the matter, for he pointed forward to a town decorated with bridges and pagodas.  
"Look, we're at Wutai!"  
The Sun was just beginning to set upon their arrival into the city, and many of the travelers wandering about were commencing to head indoors. Out of all the cities that Vincent had visited in his lifetime, Wutai was by far the most cultural and naturally beautiful. While it lacked the sandy beaches of Costa del Sol or the nightlife of the Gold Saucer, there was a certain tranquility in the city that made the party feel privileged to be in such a beautiful place. It was almost ironic that they would be searching for a dastardly Materia-thief in a place that signified such inner peace.  
Upon stepping forth on the stone pathways of the town the group huddled together to decide where to head next. With both Cloud and Barret (the two definite leaders of the party) not currently amongst the five at the town's entrance, it became almost a free-for-all as the group divided further.  
Almost immediately after the question came up inside the group, Aeris spoke optimistically with an idea.  
"How about Vincent and I head over to the far left? You guys can search in the houses on the right. If anyone gets any information they can come and find us, or vice-versa." It seemed to be a suitable agreement for everyone, so the groups went their respective ways.  
Vincent and Aeris moved hastily to the left, passing a red building decorated with written characters and swords.  
"Do you think we need to look in there?" he asked her while turning his head in her direction. It seemed strange to him but he was finally getting used to the idea of having a beautiful woman like Aeris around. Even though he was uncertain as to her true feelings, just knowing that somebody enjoyed his company was reason enough to make him smile.  
Aeris responded with a friendly tone to her voice, the same tone she used no matter what the situation.  
"I don't think Yuffie would hide in a weapon shop. It would be too obvious to hide near the entrance of town." Aeris then pointed at a larger building to the left, painted red and with the similar pagoda structure as the Weapon Shop. It had a giant vase in front of the door, and the words "Turtle's Paradise" were written under the characters for what would seem like tourists.  
"We can check in there if you want," Vincent replied with a more pleasant ring in his voice in seeing Aeris look that direction. "Back when I was in Shinra Tseng was always telling me that one day after a mission we would come here on vacation and eat at the Turtle's Paradise. It's supposedly one of the greatest resorts on the planet."  
"Well then, why don't we run in and take a look?" Vincent had no objections to the beauty's proposal, so the two of them ventured towards the resort.  
"Aeris...just out of curiosity why was it that you chose me to accompany you? I'm no better than any other member of the group."  
"Of course you are," the girl replied while gently touching Vincent's left arm for a moment. He was unaccustomed to such personal contact, so he jerked away out of uncertainty above anything else.  
Aeris's eyes grew wide and concerned, almost as if she had heard the news of a dying friend.  
"I'm so sorry, Vincent; I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, it's just..."  
"Don't doubt yourself; it was my fault," he interrupted dejectedly while swinging open the door to the Turtle's Paradise and holding it open for Aeris.  
"It is my fault for being so nervous. You are a wonderful, beautiful, woman...I just was afraid...you know?"  
Aeris smiled without a reply, and upon entering the resort the awkwardness of the moment faded as the flower girl gazed upon two familiar faces in dark blue suits sitting at a table in the corner of the main room. Both were concentrating on their card game currently, so Aeris bent upward to whisper in counterpart's ear.  
"Those two men have been searching for me ever since I was a child in Midgar. If they see us they are likely to fight so we better just take a quick look around and leave."  
"Okay."  
Vincent had attempted to whisper in his softest voice feasible, but it was apparently not enough as the head of the bald suited man turned around to the couple at the door.  
"Reno...the Ancient is here."  
The taller man with reddish hair did not look upward for the moment, but continued glaring at the deck of cards in his hand.  
"Rude, just act like you don't see her. We're on break, just like we were when Cloud and the others showed up and Elena busted out of here mad. Nothing has changed." Now, more than likely to shoo the intruders away, Reno looked up from his deck at the strange pair of travelers, who were on their way out the door when he spoke loudly.  
"Wait a minute...is that you, Sweetheart? I thought Hojo would have done away with you by now."  
Upon hearing the nickname "Sweetheart" for the first time in nine years Vincent snapped around and glared at Reno coldly. Apparently Reno had not changed in personality one bit since their coalition in the Turks. He was as arrogant as ever, and had not seemed to lose any of his ruby-red hair in the years it had been since their last meeting.  
Vincent moved closer to their card table and gazed down upon his two former co-workers.  
"I am not to be deterred so easily, Reno. Tell me, what has Hojo been experimenting with lately? You must be wary working with Shinra, for you are apt to be his next victim."  
"Ah, there you go with your big vocabulary and mysterious language again. We're not going to be in any of Hojo's experiments, because we weren't the one idiotic enough to fall in love with his lover."  
"Wait...lover?" Vincent's cold glare dissipated and now he was in a complete and utter state of confusion. He hadn't previously known of Hojo's affairs (even though he knew of his feelings), but it appeared now that Aeris would be enlightened of his. His attempts to be oblivious and put on a performance would even turn out to be ineffective.  
Reno cackled at Vincent's uncertainty, and grinned menacingly while folding his cards on the table.  
"Ha! You didn't know? You must be even dumber than I thought you were. Everyone knew that Hojo was in love with Lucrecia, and would tear apart anyone the moment he discovered that they had similar feelings for the woman."  
"So they all believe that I have perished..."  
"You could say that," Reno stated, interrupting Vincent's thought. "Nobody was really sure if you were dead or not. There was a letter on your desk saying that you had quit, but we all knew better than that; those of us that were in the Turks, that is. That bastard Tseng was so upset, saying that he had lost his precious recruit. After a while, though, we got his mind of it and everyone stopped caring." There was another shrill cackle in Reno's voice, obviously enjoying the torment Vincent had received.  
However, a conscious effort was made to ignore Reno, and Vincent continued with his questioning.  
"And what about Hojo and Lucrecia; where are they?"  
Reno laughed obnoxiously yet again, this time lightly shoving Vincent backwards slightly into Aeris.  
"You're no longer with the Turks, Sweetheart. I don't think that's any of your business."  
There was an inner demon inside of Vincent telling him to grab Reno; to throw him into the wall and force him to tell the truth. He desired to so badly, but he knew that violence would be futile in such a situation. It would shock and frighten Aeris, and wouldn't be any likelier to extract information.  
"By the way," Reno said again with a cunning smile, "Lucrecia vanished a few weeks after you did. Nobody in Shinra's seen her since."  
At hearing the news of Lucrecia's disappearance, Vincent had no further business with Reno or his drunken friend. He beckoned Aeris to head towards the door, and as he walked towards the exit of the resort he spun his head around to face his adversaries one last time.  
"Hey, you Turks; be sure to tell Tseng I said hello."  
"You better be careful of that precious cargo you're traveling with!" Reno shouted back. "If we weren't on break right now we'd be kicking your ass for her."  
"Reno...shut up. You're making the booze taste bad." After speaking his brief and thought-provoking words, Rude scratched his bald head briefly before staring down again at the decorations upon the table.  
Vincent and Aeris had already found their way to the exit of the resort, but their departure was quickly halted by Tifa, who charged into the room at full speed while waving her skinny arms in the air.  
"Vincent, Aeris! We need to head straight up to the mountains! Don Corneo has captured Yuffie, and if we don't hurry we'll never get out Materia back!"  
"Heh...looks like you guys will have to hunt down that fat moron in the mountains," Reno said devilishly. "Have fun." Rude was silent, and seemed to be spending the majority of his time now staring lovingly at the scantily-clad bar owner.  
Tifa ignored Rude, and responded to Reno's haughtiness with some confidence of her own.  
"Well, unless you guys want to be short a member you better come with us. Corneo's taken Elena from you, and he has both girls tied up on the Da- Chao mountains behind the city."  
"Ah, damn it!" Reno screeched, pounding his fist upon the table. "Rude, we have to head out and rescue Elena. I told her it was a bad idea to wander off alone."  
"Wait," Rude replied in perplexity, coming back to reality from his twisted world of whimsical dreams.  
"What?"  
  
-  
  
"Don't think this is going to change anything between us, Sweetheart," Reno shouted while the group dashed up the trail of the Da- Chao mountains. They were unsure as to Yuffie and Elena's actual location, but they assumed it was located somewhere towards the top. Reno and Rude led the way up the mountain, with Vincent leading Aeris and Tifa behind. It was getting to be relatively dark outdoors, but the fading light of the Sun illuminated the road ahead just enough to keep the party secure.  
"Trust me, I think just as little of you now as I did when I was in the Turks," Vincent replied while breathing heavily. "I don't even know who Don Corneo is, let alone what he wants with women from our groups."  
"Don Corneo is basically a wealthy pimp," Tifa stated from behind. "When we were just starting out on our journey in Midgar Aeris and Cloud came to rescue me before Don could make me one of "his own". I was trying to get information about Shinra from him, but that didn't work out too wonderfully."  
"Yeah, but at least we were able to see Cloud in a dress," Aeris added with a giggle.  
Upon hearing this statement, the thought process in Vincent's brain commenced to panic, trying as diligently as possible to not form a mental picture of Cloud as a cross-dresser.  
"What?" he inquired, hoping that somehow he heard Aeris incorrectly.  
"Long story," Tifa replied with another laugh in her voice. "Let's just say that Cloud looked very pretty." The group marched forward until the trail of the mountain became increasingly rocky. The mountains had been carved into gigantic figures centuries before, and pieces of stone had started to accumulate on the once-smooth trail.  
"Seriously though," Tifa continued, "Corneo is not a powerful man by any means, but he sometimes has quite a few cohorts to do his bidding. We'll have to be on close watch."  
It was here that the group came to a split in the road, one path heading north and the other moving east. After a brief discussion, the caravan moved onward with Vincent, Aeris, and Tifa moving north while the Turks traveled east (even though Rude pondered the thought of ditching Reno and heading north, as well).  
There was now little conversation as Vincent led the way northward. His legs were beginning to ache continuously, and he suddenly felt exhausted beyond belief. He knew that the extensive use of energy he had exhibited throughout the day would come back to haunt him; he felt as if he could collapse at any given moment. He was then thankful to take a turn to the left to rest and see the rest of the party, including even Cloud, Barret, and Red, walking along a carving of an outstretched arm. Yuffie and Elena (a petite blonde woman in a dark blue suit) were each tied onto the mountainside, which was carved to the equivalent of a face. Each woman was hanging upside down, with an enormously fat man watching them with a large switch in his hand.  
Noticing the latest arrivals to his exhibition, the fat man turned around to look closely at Aeris and Tifa.  
"Well hello there, my two honeys from Midgar! You know, you two were not very nice to my poor pet Aps or me the last time we met."  
"Sorry, Corneo," Tifa stated sarcastically, "We didn't know that we were supposed to respect a greedy pig!"  
"Oh, but you will," the Don replied with a putrid cackle. "You will bow to me once you take a look at my new friend, and you'll feel sorry for treating me so badly." The man snapped his chubby fingers together, and shouted in a grotesque and throaty voice.  
"Oh, Rapps!"  
It was then that the group turned their heads to look to the left to see a giant dragon-like creature flying towards them. It was much smaller and trimmer than the beast Vincent had encountered at Mt. Nibel, but it was mobile and could easily be even more lethal than the previous beast. The creature flew at the group with reckless abandon, and used its giant wings to drag back Vincent, Cloud, and Barret to the edge of the carving in which they were standing on.  
"Damn!" Barret shouted. "The rest of you guys attack it from behind!"  
In shrewd arrogance Don Corneo shook his head.  
"I don't think that will be happening," he stated while pointing down towards his switch. "If any of them move one inch, your friends will go dropping to their deaths!" He maneuvered slowly to gaze at the three warriors, who had now already retrieved their weapons and were standing at a ready position.  
"As for you three, go ahead and fight. I want to see you suffer. Attack, Rapps!"  
The dragon lunged forward at the party, biting Cloud's arm and striking Vincent hard with its tail. After the excruciating climb and difficult day of traveling he was already frail and weary, and receiving another blow only tended to add to his suffering. He could barely stand upright, but he managed to fire away a shot at the opponent, who countered with a deadly and much more powerful spell.  
"Rapps, cast Aero3 now!" Corneo shouted at the beast. It was then a strong beam of multicolored light began to encircle the monster and shoot outwards. The beam was so incredibly powerful that Vincent could not truly ascertain its power for in a moment he was lying flat on the ground, motionless. He could hear the screams of Aeris begging Corneo to stop, but he suddenly felt a resurgence of life in him. His muscles expanded outward and his skin turned a dark grayish color; His current clothes were instantaneously replaced with dark green shorts, and he felt a sudden resurgence of electricity within him. Even though Red and Cait Sith had seen a similar action performed before out of him, they were still in shock at the monstrosity now standing before them. Vincent Valentine had again vanished, and the Death Gigas stood in its place.  
The Gigas lost all coherence of the world surrounding him, and the only thing he could see was what he attacked. The Rapps dragon was caught off guard by a powerful Gigadunk, which it was struck with repeatedly until the enemy was weakened and attempting to recover. It was then that a truly enormous current of electricity began to truly flow inside of Vincent's veins. He pounded his electrically-charged hands to his muscular chest, and sent an astonishing Livewire attack at the dragon beast, causing it to torch and fall lifelessly towards the ground. Vincent soon followed in this downward action, leaving the world of violence behind to sanctum of rest and solace.  
  
-  
  
Darkness entwined the sleeping quarters of Shinra Headquarters at midnight, and Vincent was forced to light a candle in order to see the sheet of parchment he had before him. After a tiring and strenuous day he truthfully should have been resting, but for some reason he did not desire slumber. It had been almost a year since the incident with his father in Kalm, and he had felt regret over his hasty actions since the moment he had walked out of that bar. He knew that his father disrespected him; for much of his life his avarice overshadowed his compassion. Yet he was Vincent's father just the same, which is what likely compelled Vincent to be sitting at his work desk when he should have been asleep.  
His eyes were squinting when looking down at the paper, for he was still getting accustomed to the dim light of the tiny chamber. Within just a second of his arrival in the room he grew uncomfortable, so he was now sitting in his desk chair wearing only his button-up shirt and blue dress pants from work.  
Grasping a black-ink pen in his hand, Vincent finally began to ignore his surroundings and create words on his sheet of paper. As he wrote, he realized that he never imagined he could both love and despise an individual as much as he did Lance.  
  
_ Dear father,  
  
Do you remember that time when Ester and I were out riding Chocobos with you and she became separated? That is what my life has felt like for the past year.  
I am terribly sorry for not writing to you sooner than I have. I am not certain truly as to whether or not you are still residing in Kalm, so I am postmarking this letter to the town square in hopes that somebody can deliver it to you in the even that you have moved on. In all honesty I have been afraid to contact you since our last conversation.  
I suppose I have not been extremely sympathetic with you about mom leaving us. I knew that it destroyed you inside, but it was only until recently that I have begun to realize just how painful heartbreak is. I have been chasing a beautiful woman named Lucrecia for months now, but not once have I been able to sustain a conversation with her. People criticize me constantly and call me impetuous for even trying. She is significantly older than me and also higher in status with Shinra, but I have never let it defer me from getting what I want. I know that is what you always taught me.  
However, it is only recently that I discovered that Lucrecia will never be obtainable for me. She is in love with another man, and I fear that if I continue longing for her like I do it will be my downfall. Being in the Turks is an acceptable job, and while some may deem it as controversial, it keeps me out of trouble and gives me an acceptable amount of pay. I suppose what I am trying to say is that I now know how you feel. We are the only members of our family left, so it would be beneficial to both of us to stick together.  
Concerning money, I have enclosed 4000 Gil in this letter, hoping you will accept it as an apology for my past actions and as a gift to you. I want to be able to return to Kalm and see you and Bernard again but it may be a good while. I have been told that I have been chosen to be the head of a new experimental project with Hojo, who is in charge of the Science Department. This new position may allow me to obtain some more money and new opportunities, so I will attempt to contact you again with the results.  
Once again I apologize for my long absence. I hope everything is going well for you.  
  
Sincerely yours,  
Vincent Valentine  
_  
Vincent placed four 1000-Gil notes inside of an envelope with his letter, and addressed it to Kalm Town Square. He was finally beginning to desire sleep, but he was still extremely tense concerning the next day's events. He was instructed by Tseng to meet him in office at five in the morning to receive a preliminary briefing on his new project with Hojo. Being with Hojo was exciting in that he would receive fewer hours to work with greater pay, but his strong dislike of the man somewhat frightened Vincent to be in his presence. He knew that Hojo also had strong feelings for Lucrecia, so tribulation could rise if the two's feelings became intertwined.  
Not truly able to see down the path before him, Vincent slept on that warm Midgar night in uncertainty. He knew that the days ahead would be both mysterious and exciting, but he never thought it would lead him on this strange trail he presently decided to travel on. If he had known what Hojo's secret "experiment" meant, he would have never walked into Shinra's doors to begin with.  
_Then where would you be today? I suppose I'll just keep watching over you then..._  
  
-  
  
The sound of gushing water awoke Vincent on a beautiful autumn morning. The air was crisp and comfortable, and birds could be heard singing in the trees, which first leaves had just commenced to fall to the ground below.  
Looking briefly at his surroundings, Vincent noticed that he was in a beautiful alcove situated perfectly between to mountains. He was surrounded by forestry on all sides, with a large lake being supported by a stunning waterfall spewing down from the looming mountains; he could see no sign of Wutai or even Da-Chao from any direction. The grass was green and fertile, so much that it seemed exceptional of sleeping quarters compared to even a bed. Even still, Vincent was oblivious to where in actuality he was or how he arrived there. It was then he arched his body up to a sitting position and felt soft arms wrap themselves around his thin neck.  
"Vincent!" the voice exclaimed joyously. He traced the arms with his finger to find Aeris's beautiful face lying directly in front of him. Her hair was wet but still striking (she had obviously used the waterfall to cool off). Surprisingly there was even a trickle of water on her face, which Vincent wiped off with the same finger he had traced on her arm. She had removed the customary red jacked from her arms, and was standing before him in her signature pink button-up dress.  
It was unexplainable the feeling that overcame Vincent at that moment. Being in such an enchanting place with Aeris he thought himself to be in another fantasy of his mind. There was no way that he would wake up in such a remarkable place with the woman he loved.  
With this perception in mind, Vincent felt surprisingly courageous and decided to test the boundaries of this wonderful reverie. Without even thinking of the consequences, he wrapped his own arms around Aeris's slender neck and planted a fervent kiss upon her lips. Aeris did not object to the sudden display of passion, and upon ending the embrace continued to allow Vincent to hold her tightly, her ivory skin soft and comforting.  
"Incredible; I must be dreaming," Vince said softly in Aeris's ear, who had not backed away an inch from the mysterious former Turk.  
Aeris chuckled lightly to herself, and placed her head upon Vincent's shoulder.  
"Yeah, it does seem that way, doesn't it?"  
It was then that Vincent became aware to each of his senses: the smell of the flowers, the sounds of the wildlife, and even the feeling of Aeris's hair against his hands. This was no dream; this was reality, and the most spectacular reality he could have ever imagined.  
"Vincent," Aeris said warmly while moving her finger along Vincent's neck. She halted her voice after that, so it implied that she was awaiting his permission before continuing her inquiry.  
"Yes?" he replied, almost without hesitation to hear her luscious voice a second time.  
"What did Hojo do to you?"  
_ If only you knew, my angel. If only you knew._

Note: And that is all for chapter four. I hope you are enjoying the story so far. Be on the lookout for the next chapter, where all shall be explained and many loose ends tied together.


	5. The First Second Chance

Note: As requested by Celtic Guardian 7, chapters will from here on out be spaced between each paragraph for your reading enjoyment. I appreciate all reviews and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

_The First Second Chance  
_  
_Oh, but you forget she may already know more than you think._

_  
  
_ Vincent and Aeris were seated upon a large stone overlooking the waterfall in the morning light. Their hands were intertwined, and Vincent was finally beginning to feel awake. After being injured so badly in the fight against Rapps he was again surprised to find no bruises upon him; his arms and legs ached slightly, but that was to be expected after performing such strenuous activity. Through the kiss Vincent shared with the beautiful Ancient he felt for the first time as if he had found someone he could completely and unreservedly trust. Until this point he had talked to various people about his experiences with Shinra but left out certain events and abandoned specifics. He did not even know himself how Hojo had corrupted him, but he was going to try his hardest to decipher the mystery of his soul before his time was through. 

Looking up towards the peak of the cascade Vincent spoke softly to Aeris, revealing as close the truth as possible of what caused his extended slumber in Shinra Mansion.

"From the very first time I had met Lucrecia I had promised myself to win her over. Tseng had warned me to stay away, but for some reason that only made me work even harder for her affection. I would find myself sneaking up to the Science Department before my shifts to talk to her, and sometimes I would purposely wait for her to leave so I could speak with her outside of Headquarters. I remember one time I spent one thousand Gil on a bouquet of flowers ordered specially from Wutai, where we just were. Flowers were so difficult to find in Midgar those days."

Aeris smiled lightly at the mentioning of flowers, and tilted her head back so the tips of her hair could feel the pond's moisture.

"You know, there were some flowers here and there. In Midgar I lived with a woman named Elmyra, and we had an enormous flower garden right outside our house."

"I cannot believe I paid one thousand Gil for them then," Vincent replied with a slight chuckle. "I suppose I never really took the time to look." Upon making this realization he took Aeris's hand and held it even closer to his own.

The lifestyle in Midgar was often too hasty; just because of a common misconception people would not search for those that strayed from the norm. There was little in Midgar that was fragrant or appealing, but the exceptions to this generalization were beautiful beyond reason.

"Anyway," Vincent continued while putting his arm now around Aeris's shoulders, "Everyone, including myself, in Shinra knew that Hojo was infatuated with Lucrecia, but only the select few knew that she was attracted to him. One day the two of them were talking and apparently my name entered the conversation somehow. Hojo was furious to discover that someone was attempting to steal away the one he loved, his obsession if you will."

"The next day I was told by Tseng that I had been assigned to assist in a research project directly with Professor Hojo. At first I was exuberant about the opportunity; they told me that I would have to work less and make more money for my efforts. However, the real reason I had been given the job was so Hojo could keep watch over me."

Even if the conversation was concerning a former love interest, Aeris leaned forward during Vincent's storytelling, anxious to hear more.

"So did you ever talk to Lucrecia again?"

"Yeah, I did one night about a week after I had been assigned to the Science Department."

Aeris noticed a significant drop in his voice upon replying, so she did not want to pressure him too much into talking about an uncomfortable event in his life. However, Vincent continued to speak without hesitation, for he felt as if he could trust Aeris more than even himself. Things were better off not being bottled in his memories.

"Hojo found out that I had spent some time outside of work with Lucrecia, and he was infuriated. One day he lured me to Shinra Mansion, saying that the "key to the whole experiment" was located there."

"So what did he do?" It was upon hearing this question that Vincent's mind blanked and his eyes lowered towards the ground. He was again reminded of how much he didn't belong in the modern world; he was an anachronism compared to everything surrounding him.

_Maybe you were not meant to still be alive. _

"I...I don't know," Vincent stuttered in complete and utter disdain. He didn't know what happened to him that night at Shinra Mansion, or even recently at Mt. Nibel and Wutai. He should have perished each time, but he did not; he was reborn into a horrific beast, only to awake the next morning as if nothing happened, without a scrape or bruise on his body.

"Aeris...what happened yesterday? What did I become?"

The comforting flower girl could see the eminent anxiety in Vincent's voice, and placed her hand upon Vincent's shoulder as she spoke.

"The Rapps dragon that Don Corneo had unleashed on us had damaged Cloud and Barret pretty badly, and you fell to the ground after it cast Aero3 on you. We were all begging Corneo and sobbing, thinking you to be dead, when you suddenly rose up as an enormous beast and attacked the dragon. It was defeated in a few minutes, and the Turks soon arrived to do away with Corneo entirely. All in all, we were able to get our Materia back from Yuffie, and she's traveling with us again."

"But how did we arrive here? You are such a necessity to the success of the planet I do not understand why the group would leave you alone with an unconscious body."

"Oh, I'm not alone," Aeris replied with a clever smile. "We have Cait Sith watching for enemies about a mile from here. I also cast Barrier around this clearing for safekeeping." There was a pause in the conversation, mainly because Vincent was still attempting to tie together the loose ends. He did not understand why Aeris reacted so calmly to the transformation in the mountains, or even why she had decided to stay back with him while the rest of the party moved forward. Then again, he did not even know how she could have the same feelings for him that he had for her.

Sensing that Vincent had grown downtrodden in hearing of his peculiarities yet again, Aeris took one of her silky hands and danced in the pond with it, placing the cool water upon her partner's cheek.

"I know you are completely lost inside as to why you are able to survive under such conditions, especially without even a scratch or bruise. I promise, though, that as long as I am here with you I will help to figure it out." Aeris now tilted her body to face the mysterious warrior from Kalm and pulled back his strands of black hair from his cheek.

"The point is, Vincent, that you saved all of our lives again in Wutai, and I thank you even more for it." It was at this point that Aeris leaned her slender body forward and kissed Vincent tenderly, brushing their lips across one another before finally interlocking in a passionate embrace. As he leaned backwards, the ends of his ebony hair fell gracefully into the shifting water.

Vincent was so entranced in these vast declarations of ardor and adoration that he did not even realize the extent of his actions. Here he was, sitting in an alcove a few miles from Wutai with the woman he had always dreamed of, and he could not bring himself to have her as his own; at least not yet. Within a moment he had pulled away from the embrace, and was facing away from the mountains and towards the nearby waterfall.

Aeris was deeply distressed on seeing this reaction, and forced herself forward so that she could place an arm on his shoulder and speak in a diffident, much more concerned, fashion.

"What's wrong, Vincent? I though that you and I...well you kissed me earlier and I was just trying to return the favor..."

"It's not that I do not desire it," Vincent interrupted with an enigmatic tone to his voice. "I kissed you earlier because I thought I was in a dream. I did not think there was any possibility that someone as beautiful and intelligent as you would ever be interested in an outcast, an introvert like myself."

"But I am interested," Aeris protested, now leaning her soft face against Vincent's shoulder and grabbing his left hand with her own. "I am more compelled than I have ever been with anyone. There is something about you; something that just makes me want to be closer to you than anyone else. I want to be with you, Vincent. I really do." Her left fist had arched up from a resting position and was now resting up towards her shoulder. Tears were beginning to form in her gorgeous green eyes, for she was afraid that she would be heartbroken by the man many believed to have no heart at all.

There was a question that had risen inside of Vincent's head that had kept him from keeping his lips attached to the one loved. It was what made him break the embrace, and it was what he would fear to be the downfall of the group. It was the one question he never desired to ask, but it was necessary to continue forward positively in this relationship.

"Aeris?"

"Yes, Vincent?" The water in her eyes evaporated slightly, primarily because she was relieved to hear his subtle voice again.

"What about Cloud? What will he think?"

Aeris succeeded to rise from her seat next to Vincent and to pace back and forth across the small meadow. She knew the definite answer in her head, but was having a difficult time putting it into words. Her explanation began as a sequence of events, and she continued along that road until she could finally state her ultimate point. Her pacing wavered frequently, but her voice was as flowing and poetic as ever.

"I met Cloud a few weeks after my first boyfriend disappeared. At the time I was lonely, and I was being chased down through Midgar by those two Turks, Reno and Rude."

"I never was too fond of them," Vincent mumbled under his breath before realizing he was speaking out loud.

"Oh I'm sorry; go ahead."

Aeris did not seem disturbed at all at Vincent's sudden outburst, and she continued onward with her story.

"Anyway, Cloud was able to keep me away from the Turks for the time being, so I promised him a date someday in return. He wasn't an ugly individual or anything; in fact, I thought at the time he looked just like my ex-boyfriend. Both of them claimed to be First-class officers in SOLDIER, so I thought of him at first as retribution for what I had lost."

"So you thought that Cloud was sent to you to replace the other man?"

"Yes," Aeris replied, and her voice lowered slightly to a more serious tone. "I thought so at first, anyway. Cloud turned out to be a very different person than the man I was once with. He's very self-oriented, and he never shows any signs of compassion or emotions. He's just so distant; I never really know where he is at or what he is feeling. Then he has Tifa, a childhood friend that I am almost certain that he loves. Everyone else says that he is stricken with me, but I do not want to be with anyone that is so indecisive with himself." Aeris finished talking for the time being, and returned to her seat on the stone beside Vincent.

Taking her hand and tracing it through the edge of the water, the flower girl stared upward at the birds in the trees, and then back down at the somewhat apprehensive gentleman before her.

"I always liked Cloud, but I never fell in love with him." Even though her voice was soft and muffled against the clashing of the waterfall, there was an aura of confidence to it that proved what she spoke to be true.

Vincent now took this time to rise to his feet and plant himself upon a nearby rock leading to the waterfall, where a small alcove was located behind the cascading falls. He turned back to Aeris with a level of confidence of his own; he chose his words extremely carefully, for he felt now that there could be something to be found in this greatest of realities.

"And what is love, anyway? People have attempted for years to define it with no success. Some say it is a nevr-ending passion inside of you, others claim it to be a fleeting admiration."

"Define it however you want, but I'm in it with you."

Vincent was shocked to hear Aeris declare her feelings so openly, but not surprised to see her follow in his actions and move closer to where he stood.

"I don't know how else to say it," Aeris continued softly, "I barely know who you are, but in the same respect I feel as if I know everything about you. We share a common bond, Vincent; we've both been mistreated by the Shinra and we're trying to figure out who we are. People like us are the only ones capable of saving the Planet, and I don't want to face that burden with anyone other than with you."

Vincent grasped her hand as she approached him; her face and her hair still moistened from being near the water. He led her forward over piles of stones, but paused before stepping in the alcove behind the falls. He needed not to hesitate any longer; he knew in his heart that Aeris was his. Joy that he had longed to simply dream about had grown be the greatest of truths. Vincent lacked little self-assurance now, and spoke primarily for the purpose of clarification.

"So what will we tell Cloud?"

"Who says we even have to tell Cloud?" Aeris shrugged her bare shoulders, and as she stepped backwards into the rock hideaway behind the waterfall. She was forced to practically yell to even hear herself against the crashing water, even with Vincent following her to their present location. "It'll be better if we keep this a secret, but I do not want him to keep us from being together!"

"Well we are here now, are we not?" Vincent exclaimed against the noise of the surrounding environment. The cave was small and humid, so Vincent sat down upon its ledge, allowing the surging but refreshing water to spill down upon his body and clothes. He removed his red hiking boots, and let his feet dangle down over the side of the ledge.

Aeris considered agreeing with Vincent verbally, but there was no longer any need for words as she sat down next to him, immediately taking his hand in hers and kissing him feverishly beneath the pouring water. Not even the coolest of hydration could keep the intensity between the two lovers from burning incredibly; the water was splashing down upon them so powerfully that Aeris could hardly keep the straps of her pink dress up. She paid little attention to it, and continued to kiss Vincent as he ran his hands across the side of her moistened face. The water felt electrifying against their skin, and their tongues became quickly engaged as the pair explored this new and heavenly endeavor.

Within a moment or two Vincent lowered his mouth to kiss her chin, slowly moving down to the curves of her neck. It was amazing how smooth and wonderful Aeris's body was; it was almost as if someone had carved a masterpiece out of the finest marble. Her skin was just as soft as he imagined it, and her voice was still soft and soothing against the thunderous passion.

"Vincent...I love you."

"I..." Vincent had commenced to reply with just as sweet and sincere of a remark, but he was interrupted by the loud and screeching voice coming from about twenty yards away.

"Vincent? Aeris? Where are you guys?" Vincent and Aeris quickly pushed away from one another and fixed their hair to be presentable. Cait Sith was hopping forward on his Mog body, his voice exhibiting some level of concern.

"We'll have to continue this some other time," Aeris whispered, kissing Vincent one last time upon the cheek.

The couple quickly climbed down from behind the waterfall and to their cat-like comrade, their clothes soaking wet, allowing walking to be extremely difficult. Aeris's dress was now pressed against her beautiful figure, making her appear all the more enchanting to Vincent's eyes.

Upon seeing the two completely reckless and drenched Cait Sith spoke loudly and somewhat agitated.

"Man if I had known you guys were going swimming I would have come earlier. What's been taking so long; I thought you were supposed to get me when Vinny woke up."

"Well, he's only been awake for a few minutes," Aeris protested. "We have just off."

Cait Sith seemed to stare at them in disbelief but decided to ignore the present dilemma to continue with his critical information.

"I hope you two are done swimming then; I just got a call on the PHS from Cloud saying to meet him over on the southern shore of the island. Apparently they have a new lead as to where Sepiroth is headed."

Vincent wasted no time, and strapped his boots back onto his feet in preparation for the journey ahead. Aeris walked over to the edge of the meadow and grabbed her denim vest and sandals, also using a pink ribbon to tie back her flooded hair. Cait Sith led the way across the mountains, still oblivious to the encounters that had occurred just moments before.

As the small party exited the meadow and recommenced hiking up the scenic trail, Aeris took the liberty of finding out more of the task at hand. At the time the group separated everyone was utterly clueless as to where to venture next; they had managed to save their Materia but failed miserably in extracting any more information from the Shinra. Sepiroth had not been spotted since Nibelhelm, and he gave no clues concerning his whereabouts.

"So where exactly are we heading to when we arrive at the Bronco?"

Cait Sith, who was leading the way with his uneven, clunky footsteps, spoke with an unusual poise in his voice, quite uncommon for a character that was usually so comical and mysterious.

"Apparently Cloud and the others are in search of an item known as the Keystone. They need it in order to get into the Temple of the Ancients, which is where they believe the Shinra to be heading. Rumor has it that there is Materia in that temple that is strong enough to destroy the Planet or to even save it single-handedly."

"Materia strong enough to salvage the world?" Aeris replied in disbelief. "Do they know where this keystone is, then?"

"Yes, and that is where we are heading now; back to my old fortune- telling grounds of Gold Saucer. They found a weapon seller near Gongaga that had already sold it to Dio for a pretty fair price. Being the egomaniac that Dio is I would not be surprised for him to have it placed in some grand museum or something, charging people to look at it for two seconds before shoving them out the door."

"If this Dio is as much of an egoist as you state he is," Vincent inquires, "than what makes you think that he will lend you the Keystone?"

"Dio has always been easy to sway, so I figure he'll give the Keystone up if we do a couple of favors for him. He's never been too fond of the Shinra, so he'll be glad just to make sure it's out of their hands."

Neither Aeris nor Vincent felt any further desire to speak of Gold Saucer or the Keystone, so they made no reply to Cait Sith's analysis of the eccentric owner. The trail was winding down the side of a mountain as the group progressed, the two lovers frequently exchanging glances as the climbed downward.

In many ways Vincent was still mesmerized with how a situation like this was even possible for him. He had known Lucrecia for over a year without ever kissing her or holding her hand; and yet here he was, romantically involved with the last surviving Ancient, the girl that was previously labeled to be his enemy. He had only known her for a week and already the two were deeper in love than either had ever imagined they could be.

Even through this strong affection, however, there were numerous doubts of how the relationship could even exist in a healthy manner. The leader of their expedition was infatuated with Aeris, and if he were to find out the entire group could be torn apart. There was also the question of their mission, and whether or not it would be ethical for them to be together on a quest of much greater purpose. In all honestly, fear was the main hindrance in the couple's way.

Vincent did not wish to give this up, though; it was the relationship he had dreamed of ever since the torture and heartbreak of Lucrecia. She was just so beautiful, so incredible. She was perfect.

He would just have to keep this part of his life in shadow again.

_That should not be too much of an issue for you then...  
_  
-  
  
"Vincent? I have a question," Aeris exclaimed while stepping along the dirt roads of the South Wutai Trail. They would soon be reaching the shore, where they could expect Cloud and the Tiny Bronco to be awaiting them.

"Yes?"

"How come I never saw you when you were working among the Turks? Even when I was a teenager Reno and Rude were always the ones chasing after me. Were you already in Shinra Mansion?"

"For some of the time, probably," Vincent replied in truth while lifting himself over a boulder in the middle of the road. He and Aeris were now walking side by side along the road, with Cait Sith several feet ahead and wanting little to do with the conversation.

"With I being asleep for about eight years it is likely that I was not incorporated into most of those missions. However, I do remember Reno and Rude being sent constantly to track you down."

"But why was it always those two? You are obviously smarter and a better fighter than either of them." Aeris placed her hand upon the sleeve of Vincent's arm for a moment, and it sent a warming sensation up his spine to feel so appreciated.

"Actually, there is a pretty good reason why I was never sent to deal with you, and why Tseng didn't just deal with you himself," Vincent explained, crossing his arms about his chest as he walked. "Tseng always had an enormous respect for Professor Gast, even if it was he who was forced to separate him from his wife. He was always inclined to do his job, even if it meant making him miserable along the way." Vincent lowered his arms again from his resting place, brining himself closer to Aeris.

"Tseng knew that Gast didn't want his daughter to be involved in any of the experiments with Ifalna, so he tried his best to keep you away from Shinra while still seemingly doing his job. He knew that if he sent other agents after you that the job would be done and you would be in Shinra Headquarters staring at Hojo before you knew it. Reno and Rude are incompetent and lazy, so he knew if he sent them the mission would never be accomplished."

Aeris looked over to Vincent, gazing briefly into his eyes before lowering her head towards the ground. "I suppose that's why Shinra was never able to catch me..."

"They are such a massive organization that they are able to achieve almost anything they desire unless somebody attempts to stop them." For the first time in the conversation, Vincent smiled and laughed heartily, making a rumbling sound from his throat.

"I suppose that's why we are doing this then. We're being the ones to stop them."

As the threesome continued forward they began to hear muffled shouts which soon turned into booming voices, beckoning them to hurry to the Tiny Bronco. Vincent could now see the Tiny Bronco parked aside the southern beach, with anxious hands waving in the air across the fair distance. Their slower pace quickly transformed into a sprint, and within a few moments Cid had helped all three of them climb aboard the water-bound airship.

Cloud touched Aeris lightly on the shoulder as she walked by, and he nodded amiably to Vincent, who had just climbed aboard. Barret, who had also helped the trio climb aboard, seemed gratified enough to have them back.

"Everyone was worried damn sick about you, Mr. Turk! After that freaky bit you did against fat man Corneo we didn't know what the hell was wrong with you."

"I still don't," Vincent muttered in reply, somewhat discouraged by the animosity much of the group felt towards him. However, Tifa was kind enough to offer him the co-captain's seat behind Cid; it was soft and somewhat comfortable, and surely felt like a relief after the tedious walk from the meadow. He could hear the incoherent voices behind him; they were discussing the mission at hand, but it was something Vincent had little fascination in. He already knew the broad scope of their visit to Gold Saucer, so there was little meaning to listening in to an unnecessary discussion. His mind instead wandered, carrying him to a dimly-lit restaurant in the upper levels of Midgar.

Vincent was sitting at a small ornate table in the corner of the Skyline Café, considered by many to be the greatest eatery in the entire eastern continent. He had spent his entire month's salary on the occasion, purchasing himself a new double-breasted suit along with a pair of black slacks. This was the only time he had ever convinced Lucrecia to go to dinner with him, so he was eager to make a good impression. He had located a decorated area with candle-lit tables and soft violin music playing in the background.

The woman he had so unrequitedly adored was now sitting across the table from him, twirling her napkin in her hand. Lucrecia had dressed in her finest white gown and high-heel shoes, which had originally given Vincent hope for the evening's events. He had waited over a year for this one dinner, and he was willing to endure anything to have the beautiful black-haired woman as his own.

"Wow, this truly is an incredible restaurant," Vincent stated in hopes to ignite some conversation. He had never spoken to Lucrecia for more than five minutes at a time so he was in actuality uncertain as to how to sustain a decent conversation with the woman.

"I can see nearly all of Midgar from up here."

"Vincent, you can't just keep avoiding the truth," Lucrecia stated blatantly, her voice deep and truthful. "I decided to come with you today so we could end this; I am forty-one years old; you are young enough to be my son, in fact you are about as old as he is. As much as you can dream of us being together, it will never be. Look at you; you're just a kid, and one in which I barely even know. You need to find somebody closer to your own age instead of worshipping someone as peculiar as me."

Vincent was appalled at Lucrecia's comments, and he rolled his hands up onto the table and stared in disbelief.

"But age is only relative...Lucrecia. You may be forty-one but you appear younger and healthier than I am. If there is love existing between two people than outside factors like age should not even bear any significance."

"That's where you are wrong, Vincent," the woman protested as she stared out the window, never once making eye contact with the young Turk in fear that it would shatter him entirely.

"There is no love between two people here; it's just you. You know that Hojo is enamored with me, and I love him back. We just keep our relationship secret for business purposes. If Hojo finds out we're even here together there's no telling what he will do to you."

He could not believe it; after everything he had attempted to win her over Lucrecia adored Hojo and was indifferent to him. The flowers in his mind had wilted upon these words, and now the dinner became an issue of saving Lucrecia rather than getting her to fall in love with him.

"Don't you understand?" Vincent shouted, more than likely louder than he expected to, "Hojo's trying to use your own son for his latest experiment! I do not know if he has informed you yet, but if these tests fail Sepiroth could be killed! He cares nothing about you; he just cares about his work!"

"And how do you know that?" Lucrecia questioned spitefully, recognizing the imminent jealousy in Vincent's voice.

"I was in a meeting with him just last week!" Vincent was now bordering insanity in his voice, for he had not felt himself so irate since the incident with his father in Kalm.

"He said that he would kill you if you got in his way! Hojo is going to take your son and send him straight to hell!" Vincent was panting furiously now, and he forced himself to take his seat in order to stay conscious. His voice was still intense upon sitting down, except for pausing periodically for gasps of air.

"Lucrecia, Hojo will...kill you."

The beautiful woman said nothing for a moment, taking her time to collect her thoughts and gaze up into the ceiling fan above. When her face fell back into eye contact with Vincent she looked like an entirely different person; her face seemed scarred and angry, and the beauty inside of her dark brown eyes seemed to turn into fiery hatred. When she finally spoke her voice was monotonous, but the sharpness in her words would have shattered the strongest of glass.

"By the time Hojo is finished with you, Vincent, you will be the one burning in hell. You don't know a goddamn thing about love." Lucrecia threw her napkin into her companion's face, and it only seemed to amplify the sorrow in his heart. This was not the Lucrecia he had loved and cherished for so many months; she was different, almost as if she was under a hypnotic trance. She was spiteful and terrible; she acted as if Vincent was somebody that had despised her rather than adored her every move.

Seeing the woman of his wildest dreams walk away, the lonely gentleman could think of no one to blame other than himself.

"What have I done?"

Vincent lowered his head down upon the table, and for the first time in his entire existence, he sobbed as if he had no life left. If he had went to her when he found out about Hojo's plans he might have saved her; he could have at least kept her from making the evening into one of the most horrendous of Vincent's life.

_You know, you need to stop blaming yourself for what happened to Lucrecia. You did all I could do._

"I want to know what happened to her!" Vincent screamed amidst his rabid sobbing. The atmosphere around him seemed to gradually vanish, leaving Vincent surrounded by only darkness and his own enigmas.

"Why can't you ever tell me what has actually happened, rather than what is going to be?"

_Maybe that is for you to discover._

"Who are you? Just leave me alone, please! I have suffered enough!"

"Well damn, I didn't know you were gonna get so bent outa shape about it," replied a gruff and rugged voice that Vincent immediately recognized as Barret.

"I just woke ya up to say that we'd gotten to Corel, and I'd figure you'd wanna see the hellhole that your people have made the place into."

"They all hate me now because of you guys."

Vincent opened his eyes to see a town lying in the distance, with him still situated in the seat of the Tiny Bronco. The walk was not an altogether excruciating one, so the party had no objections to traveling the road together. He made to attempts to speak to anyone along the journey, for he was still haunted by the questions from the delusion on the boat: what if he ended up destroying Aeris just like he did Lucrecia? He would never be able to forgive himself...his life had grown so perplexing. He was uncertain whether or not this romance was even worth the consequences it could bring.

He glanced back at Aeris to see her walking behind the majority of the party, talking to Cloud and Red about something unknown to him. Maybe this was the better thing to do; travel in solitude and let the girl make the decisions for herself. At least that way if something terrible happened he would not have himself to blame.

Or would he? No matter where he turned fear was the answer to every question.

As the group approached the outskirts of Corel Village the destitute state of the town became evident to Vincent's eyes. He had remembered the days when there were established cabins and businesses, but now citizens were living out of tents and merchants were selling supplies on the street. The city was dirty and dilapidated, and pieces of broken railroad tracks seemingly were recognized to be the pathways through town.

Vincent placed his first foot upon the grainy sand of the village and turned back to Barret, who was ducking his head down in order to shield his eyes from the townspeople.

"So this is what Corel has come to these days," he said to the remorseful man, moving over to walk by his side. "I told you I never wanted the reactor to be constructed here. This is exactly what I told Shinra would happen."

"I know it ain't your fault," Barret replied solemnly while heading forward to the western part of town. "It just makes me so damn furious when I come here and see everyone so miserable. The shop owners look like they haven't eaten any good food in weeks, and the coal mines...they just been long forgotten."

"I suppose as soon as we do away with Shinra this village can be repaired. Towns can always be rebuilt."

"That still doesn't mean the lives can be saved, man!" Barret shouted suddenly, his usually-steadfast voice quivering in disparagement.

"My wife Myrna was killed here by Shinra...among others." Vincent attempted to comfort the rugged gunman, but Barret shrugged him off and moved forward past the sign west of town, which read "Gold Saucer" and pointed towards the Ropeway Station west of the town.

"Hey don't get sappy on me now, Turk, we gotta haul ass over to the Gold Saucer and get the Keystone. The only we're gonna beat these Shinra bastards is by being fast!"

Vincent nodded without uttering a word, and climbed aboard the blue transport vehicle with the rest of the group already waiting to move ahead.

"Looks like we're all here now," Cloud told the driver cordially.

"Gold Saucer, here we come!"  
  
-  
  
It was getting to be late in the evening, and the brilliant multicolored lights and banners of Gold Saucer were being illuminated as the Ropeway parked itself in front of the park entrance. As always there was a cornucopia of colorful characters parading outside in costume, whether it was chubby Chocobos or greedy gamblers rummaging for scattered Gil. Cloud had apparently purchased a lifetime pass upon their previous visit, because the group was instantly admitted upon walking to the entrance.

The caravan moved in past the entryway to a garish room filled with eight different transport tubes, each leading to a different area of the park. Nobody had a precise idea as to where this Dio character would be hiding, so they decided the best solution would be to split up into small groups and to have an individual person check each section.

"Okay, since there are eight different routes in which we can travel," Cloud explained to the group while standing before them, "we can each choose a different section of the park to visit and search for this Dio guy. Since we have one member extra, Aeris can come with me to the Battle Arena in case I need any extra help there."

Aeris smiled genially as she walked towards the front of the group.

"We'll meet up again later," she whispered into Vincent's ear in a clandestine manner while passing by. "I can't very well say no to him."

Vincent understood her reasoning completely, but he was affirming himself in his new philosophy of allowing Aeris to make her own choices. While it was not the greatest feeling seeing Aeris walk away with another man, he figured at that moment it was for the best. As much as he wanted to love her, he thought he would just be too afraid to make anything happen.

"Remember, this Dio character is a large, muscular man in bright orange tights. He can't be too difficult to find."

The group then decided to meet back at this exact location once all areas of the park had been searched, simply to see if the Keystone had been located and to decide where to go from there. As the party disembarked from their present location, Vincent quickly discovered that the only vacant location for him to search was the area on the far right, the Chocobo Race Arena. Vincent had no true objections to visiting the Chocobo Races, since he had always been fond of the large birds to begin with. He was going to try his best to avoid gambling, however, since that was how his father undoubtedly ended up spending time at the prison below the casino.

Vincent climbed slowly into the tube, and soon found himself shooting every which way before finally landing on a soft pad at the foot of a grand set of stairs leading to the front gates of the Chocobo Racing. The journey there seemed like an adventure in itself, but he continued forward by marching up the illuminated stairs and into the inner sanctum of this sport for Chocobo-lovers.

The main lobby of the Chocobo Racing reminded Vincent immediately of one of Shinra's important business meetings. There were people frantically scrambling from corner to corner of the area with piles of Gil in their hands, and women in skimpy clothing were sitting behind desks manning the entire operation by taking bets. Nobody seemed to have the patience to deal with anyone else, since achieving their dreams of fame and riches supposedly had to be their top priority.

As the former Turk strolled into the frantic atmosphere he noticed a large gate to his left. _That must be where the racers enter with the Chocobos_, Vincent thought to himself as he noticed that there was a rather peculiar-looking woman standing in front of the gate. She was somewhat tall for a female, with long strawberry-blonde hair and deep blue eyes that could convey her apparent excitement towards her job. It had been ten years since he had last looked into those same blue eyes, but he recognized them immediately as Ester's. She had not changed all too much since that emotional evening at the Chocobo stables, since she still was apparently infatuated with the birds she often spent so much time around.

Immediately upon seeing her, the idea entered Vincent's head to approach her and say "hello". She was still somewhat attractive and had to at least be relatively interested in the affairs of her old friend, didn't she? Yet she looked so jovial, handing people tickets for events and welcoming Chocobos and their riders to the starting line. He thought he noticed a sliver upon her neck that vaguely resembled the necklace he had given her so many years before, but he could unfortunately not know for certain.

Although a large portion of him desired to stop and talk to his old friend, Vincent knew that he wouldn't have anything to actually say to her. He could not very easily tell her that he had been locked away in a coffin for eight years for infuriating some mad scientist at Shinra. In addition, he would be forced to mention his present affairs, including how he was on a quest to save the Planet from an unstoppable corporation and from a hidden evil from years past. Aeris would not have to even be included in the conversation and he would already feel uncomfortable enough talking to Ester as to desire little to do with her. She wouldn't have even recognized him anymore, with him wearing the layers of capes and garments he was so unaccustomed in being seen in by his old friends.

After some serious thought, Vincent considered his reunion with Ester to be of little significance and importance and turned the other way towards the exit of the lobby (even though his heart was heavy in doing so). Dio wasn't around the Chocobo Races; if this character was as aloof as Cloud described him to be he would have been noticed in an instant. There was no way to take the exhilarating ride back up the tube to the main lobby of Gold Saucer, so Vincent was forced to climb a series of damp and fairly unattractive stairwells before reaching his destination.

The main lobby of Gold Saucer was fairly vacant upon his arrival, so he sat down against one of the brightly-colored walls and watched as Cait Sith hopped back into the lobby.

"Oh, so you're already finished up with the birdies, Valentine? There's not many places you have to search in the Event Square, either," the cat-like creature said humorously as it scooted along the floor to position itself in front of the eight tubes.

Vincent took little opportunity to laugh at the creature's antics, and instead spoke softly and indifferently.

"I saw enough of the area to know whether or not Dio was located there. It was truly too frantic in the Chocobo Races for my taste."

Cait Sith paused for a moment without reply, and spoke again in an entirely different tone of voice than before. Instead of the voice everyone had grown accustomed to, the sound coming from the creature was low-pitched and serious.

"You never did care for social occasions did you, Sweetheart?"

Vincent's mind froze immediately when that word was mentioned in the conversation. Only Aeris had been aware of his nickname from Shinra, and she would have never informed anyone else of it. He had known since the moment he had met the cat-like creature that he seemed familiar, and now hearing those words his theory was solidified.

"Who...are you?"

Cait Sith was given no time to respond, for Tifa and Red greeted the pair from the other side of the lobby. It appeared after their arrival the remainder of the group filed in quickly and systematically. Cloud and Aeris were the final two to return to the room, and they seemed to be the only ones smiling and bringing good news. Cloud was carrying a small emerald- colored stone in his right hand, and had locked elbows with Aeris with the other arm (which caused Vincent to grimace slightly).

"We got the Keystone, you guys!" Cloud exclaimed in delight. "It turns out that all I really had to do was enter a series of battles to entertain Dio and he gave the stone right up!"

"I guess we're gonna be heading out of here then..." Cid muttered, obviously disappointed to some extent with not being able to spend more time in the grand casino. Without any more discussion, the group marched out into the illuminated Ropeway Station to be immediately halted by a stout woman in a blue uniform.

"I am sorry; the Ropeway Station will be closed until further notice due to repairs."

Most of the group was frustrated entirely by their misfortune, and Barret quickly became irate and stomped to the front of the crowd.

"Hey, lady! We got some important business to take care of, and how the hell are we supposed to take care of anything if we're stuck here?"

"Once again, I am sorry," the woman replied with a straight face. "It is not my job to worry about your affairs; I am just here to tell you the Ropeway is not functional and you cannot travel by it for the time being."

"Well I'll tell you what won't be functional, lady..."

"Don't worry, I know how we can stay here for the night," Cait Sith added intuitively to keep Barret from being arrested for his obnoxious behavior. "I have some connections over at the Ghost Hotel so we can stay the night for free."

The group was somewhat relieved to hear this suggestion, and after some brief discussion they decided that staying overnight would not be too terrible of an idea. They had the Keystone in their possession, so there was no way that Shinra would make it inside the Temple of the Ancients any earlier than they would. Plus, nobody deeply had any desire to travel at night when they were so exhausted. It seemed like an eternity since they had last received a suitable night's sleep at a hotel.

Within a few minutes Vincent felt himself sitting against a wall of the Ghost Hotel, a three-story building designed to look haunted with cheesy paintings and ridiculous costumes. _And they wanted this place to appear frightening?_ Apparently the people of Gold Saucer had never attended Shinra Mansion.

The group had assembled in the enormous lobby of the hotel, and commenced to discuss their plans for the following day. Vincent was situated on the outside of the circle, watching the group talk fervently and debate on what time they should depart. Cloud had taken his typical position in front of the group, and currently was devising his definition of a perfect schedule.

"All right everybody, we probably need to be down here in the lobby again at five o'clock tomorrow morning. We need to get as much of a head start on Shinra as possible, since as far as we know they could be waiting at the temple for us as we speak. They've seemed to form some bad habits lately of reading our minds..."

"Cloud," Tifa interrupted, "I think it would be better for everyone if we left at seven in the morning instead of five. It's almost eleven o'clock already, and we'll be so much more aware with two more hours asleep."

"Plus we don't even know when the Ropeway's going to start working again," Cait Sith added.

"All right," Cloud stated with a deep sigh, "we'll head out of here at seven tomorrow morning. We need to be on guard as much as possible, since it's pretty likely that Sepiroth will be making an appearance."

"So what exactly are we after Sepiroth for?" Cid asked in confusion while reclining against a dark mahogany chair. "Isn't he supposed to be one of the big war heroes?"

"He was," Cloud replied dejectedly while crossing his arms behind his back. "Sepiroth lost his mind five years ago in Nibelhelm, and we believe him to be searching for the Promised Land."

"Only in the Promised Land can we be truly one with the Planet," Aeris added. "If Sepiroth proves this place exists and finds it before anyone else we could be in serious trouble."

Cloud now picked up where Aeris left off in the conversation.

"We think that the Temple of the Ancients holds something very important to Sepiroth's quest, so we'll be shocked not to see him there in some shape or form." Cloud took a step backward, and he allowed his eyes to wander around the room as the group became silent.

After a few minutes of little other than meaningless mumbling and petty conversation, Aeris rose to her feet and brushed off her dress.

"I think I'm going to head up to my room now and get ready for bed. We have a long day tomorrow and the extra sleep will do me good." Both Tifa and Yuffie followed, and in a few minutes most of the party had wandered upstairs to settle in for the evening. The women were fortunate enough to each have their own respective rooms, while Cait Sith was only able to provide one room for each pair of men. Vincent had been given the ill-fated assignment of rooming with Cid, but he quickly discovered him to already be asleep and snoring on his mahogany chair in the lobby.

Now concocting a brilliant and cunning plan, Vincent took the 200 Gil he had discovered on Mt. Nibel days earlier and approached the clerk at the front desk, who was dressed outrageously as a vampire.

"Excuse me, but do you have any vacancies available, anywhere?"

The man cackled resonantly in a matter meant to terrify most tourists. "Well we still have our Nightmare Suite available in room 666, but it comes at the steep price of 180 Gil per night."

"Done," Vincent replied, placing the collection of money he had gathered on the counter. In many ways it was foolish for him to spend such a multitude of money just to not room with the obnoxious pilot, but he was not overly fond of sharing a bed with another man. Maybe there was something in his head that suggested a fantasy of sleeping with Aeris which influenced him to purchase the room, but within a few minutes he found himself leaving a business card on Cid's lap that read "we are staying in Room 666. If I am not there do not worry; I may have decided to see some of the sights while we are here."

So now, casually and with an entire room to himself, Vincent climbed up the creaky stairs of the hotel and into Room 207, his resting place for the evening.  
  
-  
  
It was about eleven-thirty when Vincent heard a soft knocking on his door. He had kicked off his shoes and removed his cape onto the red carpet floor, but he was still presentable as he opened the door to see the saintly figure of Aeris standing before him. He had been looking out his window into the stars and sights of Gold Saucer, and it took his mind a moment to adjust again to reality.

"Hi," the beauty said to him demurely. "I was just coming by to see how you were doing; you seemed awfully distant this afternoon, even more so than usual."

"Oh, sorry," Vincent replied softly. He had his door opened entirely, and Aeris took a moment to peek around him to see no traces of another person.

"What happened to Cid? I thought you were supposed to be rooming with him."

"He was asleep downstairs, so I bought him a different room to stay in and left him a note." It was strange to see traces of red on Vincent's face, for he did not seem to be the kind of person capable of blushing. And yet he was, and Aeris took advantage of this opportunity by swaying her hips back and forth while smiling brightly.

"Well do you mind if I come in, then?"

Vincent had no objection, and he allowed Aeris to walk inside the small room while he took a seat on a nearby desk chair. The room was eerily silent, and Aeris walked slowly back and forth across the room, all the while making eye contact with her mysterious friend that she so adored.

"If you are upset about me running off with Cloud earlier," Aeris said politely, "I only did it because he wanted me to. Trust me; I would have rather went just about anywhere else, with anyone else for that matter. However I just can't reject him because I know it would destroy his morale."

"I suppose that is what I have been so apprehensive about today," Vincent interrupted while still sounding amiable. "I was thinking about how our relationship would affect everyone else if they were to find out. I mean, surely we cannot keep it secret forever."

"Oh, of course not," Aeris replied while kneeling over next to Vincent and wrapping her hand around his. "But once this whole crisis is over we can tell everyone the truth and run away together. If Cloud or anyone else objects, we won't have to worry about them. We'll have each other and that will be all that matters."

"But what if us being together makes you vulnerable?" Vincent's eyes were now fixated upon the incredibly beautiful Ancient girl, and he took no notice of any surroundings now other than her own subtle movements. "I adore you, do not get me wrong; but if something happened to you because of our relationship I would live my entire life in regret." Even in such a ominous meeting at night he was battling fear, and it was difficult in keeping it from overtaking him.

"Us being together doesn't endanger me, Vincent." Aeris held his hand even closer, and leaned over to softly kiss the man on the cheek. "It saves me. You didn't just save my life when we were leaving Rocket Town. You save me every moment I'm with you." Aeris now took the opportunity to lower the masking from the front of Vincent's face (an article that was quite a hindrance under the waterfall that morning), and passionately pressed her lips to his. She didn't want him to feel so fearful about being together; she had to show him how much she cared for him, more than Cloud could ever comprehend.

Aeris lowered her body down upon Vincent's lap, and their passion increased with every moment. Their tongues caressed the mouths of one another, which allowed Vincent to feel exhilarated and desirous for more.

After a few minutes of this particular embrace, Aeris climbed to her feet, untying the numerous pink ribbons in his hair and allowing her beautiful chestnut hair to come sprawling down gracefully.

"Vincent, let's spend the night together."

Upon hearing this request Vincent had almost no control over his own thoughts. His whimsical fantasy had become true, and Aeris's beauty seemed to be so empowering that he was hypnotized; he had no way of declining so generous a request. Aeris seemed to glow luminously against the light of the room and as he watched her hair tumble done the effervescence of the moment multiplied.

"Don't worry," Aeris stated while motioning for Vincent to rise to his feet from the chair. "I'll be sure to wake up early enough that nobody else knows we were even together."

"I don't care," Vincent stated uncontrollably while the thoughts in his mind raged in a tumultuous manner. "I just want to be with you." He could not hold himself back any longer, and the couple pressed themselves together, kissing and touching again in fervent adoration. Vincent quickly discarded the denim vest, kissing Aeris's shoulders and moving up again to her sacred lips. The buttons of Aeris's cascading dress were soon to be unfastened, and as the evening continued onward the couple fell backwards onto the queen-sized bed in the center of the room, still locked in a passionate embrace.

"I love you, Aeris," Vincent said ardently, taking a moment to see his beautiful angel and the stars of the night sky all in one breathtaking view.

--

Note: That is all of chapter 5, a very long and romantic chapter that makes me seem like Nicholas Sparks. Things will get more dramatic and psychological from here, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter wonderfully. Send some reviews and I shall love you forever!


	6. Concerning Reality's Bane

_Concerning Reality's Bane_  
  
_Some questions are better off unanswered._

"Why are you still doing this? Why are you still working for them?"

Vincent noticed that he had returned to the sixth-seventh floor of Shinra Mansion, a place which it had been years since he previously attended. Surprisingly he was still dressed in his blue uniform of the Turks, and was even the clean-shaven, tidy gentleman that he was identified by those many years before.

Just as he had told Aeris in their conversation at Rocket Town, Ifalna was sitting inside a plastic prison, wearing an entirely white jumpsuit that made her magnificent green eyes more prevalent against the charcoal-grey background of Hojo's laboratory. Vincent had prepared himself for a long and difficult conversation, since he seated himself upon a stack of supplies the Professor had sent away for. He was going to need to be comfortable throughout the duration of this.

There was no dignified answer to Ifalna's inquiry, but Vincent was forced to respond, in spite of the diffidence in his voice.

"Well, working for Shinra puts money on the table. This corporation runs nearly all energy on the Planet, so it would not be sensible for me to work anywhere else. Here is where the money lies and I can support myself along with traveling around the world."

Ifalna brushed her stringy brown hair back from her aging face, allowing her eyes to get a full view into her company's soul.

"But you did not come here today to inform me of your job description, did you, Mr. Valentine? Science experiments have never been your area of expertise."

Vincent felt little need to respond to that question with words, so he merely shook his head side to side. The lights surrounding Ifalna's chamber faded, and soon the two characters were perhaps the most visible objects in the entire laboratory.

When the time finally did come for words, Vincent spoke amiably, with kindness unheard of by a member of the Shinra.

"You're right; I am here to talk to you about your daughter. I found her, or should I say she found me in Nibelhelm a few days ago, and you should be happy to know that she's become a wonderful young lady."

Ifalna would have likely been elated to hear of Aeris's whereabouts from anyone other than the Shinra. However, in hearing these words echo from this man's mouth she threw herself onto the floor of her tiny chamber, crying and weeping.

"Please! I asked and begged Shinra to leave my daughter alone! You have me, what else do you need?" For a moment her tears ceased, and she pressed her face close to the plastic barrier separating her from the Turk. She looked utterly despondent; her dejected visage in undeniable pain.

"Please, I plead of you to let her go."

"It's okay," Vincent replied comfortingly, placing his bony hand against the plastic barrier. "Aeris is still free. You cannot always judge someone by who they're affiliated with; just because I work for Shinra does not mean I desire her to be harmed."

The tears did not ceased completely, and Ifalna scooted back in her prison while wiping the tears from her face with the torn sleeves of her white shirt.

"I'm sorry; it's just that when you exist in a place like this, a place so full of hate and cruelty, you never expect to see any decency from anyone. I know the Turks were after my daughter for such a long time, but it relieves me to know that she is safe. Yet if your supervisors find out you have let her free, will you not lose your job and face punishment?"

"More than likely," Vincent replied with a soft voice. "Then again it was never my plan to be employed with Shinra for as long as I have. I certainly have no intention of staying here much longer." There were traces of precipitation on his forehead, for he realized that he must now arrive at the point of his conversation; the reason he even came to visit Ifalna.

"In all honesty I do quite the opposite of what Shinra instructs me to; it is my duty to protect Aeris. We travel together as part of a quest to save the Planet from this vile corporation. However, as we have ventured forward we have met an unexpected obstacle."

"And what is that?" Ifalna asked with anxious eyes, eager to know if she could help out in any way possible.

Vincent smiled lightly in response, somewhat out of fear more than pride over what he had done.

"Aeris and I have fallen in love with one another. Your daughter is the most amazing and beautiful woman I have ever met. Whenever this mess with the planet is over, we are going to run away together and get married. We have not talked about it much as of yet, but I am sure it is to be; I can feel it within the depths of my soul. I know that we were meant to be, even if both of our backgrounds are troubled."

Ifalna looked neither joyous nor depressed after hearing Vincent' confession; she merely nodded her head and smiled politely.

"I see. Aeris always was a lovely little child." She now took a moment to adjust her posture by sitting upright and opening her eyes more to the blue-suited man standing before him. It may have been a subtle trick of the laboratory's lights, but Vincent could almost see an aura of dim light surrounding Ifalna as she rose to her feet and stared forward.

"Thank you for watching over my daughter. It seems that in all things Hojo did to you he did not touch your heart."

Vincent was perplexed by this peculiar proclamation, and he edged in closer to the plastic barrier.

"I don't understand...how do you know?"

It would be impossible not to.

The strange tension in the laboratory was broken instantaneously by a loud thumping coming from outside, and as Vincent opened his eyes he heard a panicked voice coming from outside.

"Hey Turk; get your ass outa bed! We got an emergency situation!"

Recognizing the state of urgency in Barret's voice, he rose to a sitting position in his bed to be greeted by soft hands and a brief kiss. Vincent looked over at the clock in the room, which it showed the time to be four-thirty in the morning. Aeris was not planning on sneaking back to her room until five o'clock, so the couple now found themselves in a slight state of panic. In many instances it was a major disappointment, since the most spectacular night of his life would be cut short.

Aeris also rose to a sitting position, wrapping a bedsheet around her garmentless torso and allowing Vincent to gentry stroke the soft skin of her back. He pulled on his undergarments from under the blankets, and soon leaped up from the bed entirely to dress himself. They were still worried about the boisterous commotion in the hallway, so neither Aeris nor Vincent desired to talk in anything above a whisper.

"At least we were wise enough to lock the door before we went to sleep," Vincent said while slipping on his ragged black pants. Aeris was already buttoning up her pink dress, and she nodded her head in agreement.

"What we'll have to do is exit the room at different times. You can leave a few minutes earlier than me and lure them elsewhere, like tell them I went to the Event Square to see if there was anything going on. I'll meet you guys down in that area and act like I was wandering around for a few hours and couldn't sleep."

While the carpet was soft and comfortable against Vincent's feet, he was forced to lace up his boots after throwing on his shirt and cape. He had yet to cover up his face, so that his deep voice was not muffled or hindered.

"That sounds like an acceptable plan. I would just feel terrible about leaving you."

"Oh, but you're not leaving me in any sense of the word," Aeris replied while sliding on her sandals. "Trust me; if there was any other way to do this we would be doing it. I love you very much, but it's better if nobody else sees us together until the time has come." Now fully dressed for the day, she stepped over to Vincent and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"Just be strong for me, and everything will be better before you know it."

"All right," Vincent acquiesced while kissing the beautiful woman back. He then proceeded to wave farewell to her, and exited out the door while covering the bottom part of his face with the mask.

Upon entering the hallway of the Ghost Hotel Vincent immediately spotted Red dashing across the hallway in panic.

"Red, what's wrong?" Vincent inquired with concerned eyes.

"I cannot seem to find either Tifa or Aeris, and the rest of the group is already waiting down by the Ropeway Station. Have you seen them?"

"Well, I have not heard from Tifa recently," he replied scratching his head. "Aeris stopped by my room half and hour ago to tell me she was walking down to the Event Square to...take a look around."

"Then that is where we shall head," Red stated, never once doubting the former Turk's fidelity to the group. The twosome exited the hotel in haste, and was soon searching through a collection of tombstones, desiring a suitable exit route..

"Okay, Cloud told me the only way out of this place is to find the tombstone that corresponds to your destination and stand in front of it. We are looking for one to the Event Square, so it should have that written on it."

Each of them hunted ravenously for the correct tombstone, but the marker for the Event Square could be nowhere to be found. Vincent did come across a tombstone reading "Ropeway", however, and instructed his friend to just take that transporter and head to the Event Square from that convenient point. The two of them stood in front of the darkly-covered grave, and within a few fleeting seconds they landed on soft padding in the grand lobby of Gold Saucer. In honesty Vincent had spotted the warp to the Event Square, but he was attempting to allow Aeris some time before arriving there.

Unfortunately there was no halting Red as he leaped into the tube for the Event Square before Vincent could even utter a word of protest.

The ride to the Event Square was much less exhilarating than the ones Vincent had been on previously, but they soon found themselves in the stone grey walls of the open-seated theatre. Being as it was extremely early in the morning, the burgundy curtains were closed and the vast majority of the seats were empty, except for the occasional wayward traveler awaiting something exciting to happen. Aeris was still nowhere to be found, so Red climbed onto one of the stone pews in anticipation.

"So what has happened? The only notice I was given was a thumping on my door from Barret," Vincent asked mainly to occupy the time so that Red would not be inclined to leave the area.

"It turns out that Cait Sith has been working with the Shinra this entire time, and stole the Keystone out of Cloud's room to give to the Turks." Red must have been expected a look of complete and total flabbergast, for he was equally surprise to see no emotion in Vincent's dark eyes.

"I cannot say I am altogether surprised, especially when he identified me yesterday with an old nickname from the Turks. He claimed that Aeris told him about it, but I believe she typically avoids speaking about the past of others."

"Anyway, it puts us in a rather difficult situation," Red stated matter-of-factly while scratching his left ear with a paw. "Cait Sith insists on staying with our party in spite of sabotaging us. He has Barret's adopted daughter hostage along with an Elmyra woman that used to take care of Aeris."

It was now the Vincent commenced to feel dumbfounded, for the feeling of helplessness that had overwhelmed him so many times in his quest had returned.

"I know who he is, but at the same time I do not. It will be my top priority, though, to squeeze it out of him." Thankfully he could now see Aeris hurrying across the massive theater, so he motioned for Red to leap off of the pew and prepare to depart.

"There you are," Vincent stated with an unusual amount of quirk and volume in his voice. "Red and I were wondering where you ran off to."

"Sorry; I had headed over to the Chocobo Races for a few minutes to look around. Is everyone else down at the Ropeway already?" Aeris was undoubtedly a better actor than Vincent, for she seemed as calm and collective as always while he was somewhat antsy, scratching his head and breathing irregularly through his words.

"Everyone except Tifa," Red replied knowledgably, "but she may very well be there now. Cloud said that was where she was meeting everyone, so we have no better place to venture towards than there." The trio walked back into the garish main lobby of Gold Saucer, hastily but yet still in a casual manner to not appear extraordinary. Aeris exchanged glances with Vincent along the way, smiling brightly while still making their way to the exit.

The Kalm native could not help but feel animosity upon exiting Gold Saucer without reuniting with one of the only remnants of his long- forgotten past. He wondered if he had done the acceptable thing in allowing her to live her life, but there was part of him that felt like talking to her would have been the amicable thing to do in such circumstances. As the bright lights and series of tubes dissipated into the background, however, Vincent did his best to dismiss these feelings from his mind. There would be a chance to return to Gold Saucer someday, and maybe then he could catch up with Ester. For now there were much more critical matters at hand, and I would be bets to focus on them for the time being.

Sure enough Tifa was waiting outside with the rest of the group, and they now entered the newly-repaired Ropeway with an atypical amount of acrimony between one another. It seemed as if Cait Sith was the only one who had been honest in the past twenty-four hours, and he was the most abhorred for it. The party was suspiciously silent the entire journey to Corel, no one altogether anxious as to learn anything else concerning the mission to Temple of the Ancients or even about one another's personal lives. The traitor seemed to be the happiest of the bunch, obviously excited about the level of control he had taken over everyone else.

It was on the grassland-bound journey back to the Tiny Bronco that Vincent finally took the initiative and confronted the malicious conspirator. Even though the conversation was rather ominous the low level of dialogue between the others seemed to make it increasingly audible. He was never certain if anyone overheard, for he never had the initiative to ask.

Crossing through a small series of trees, Vincent was able to shove the large Mog body up against a tree, keeping the cat at gunpoint with his revolver. The traitor, however, did not seem to be intimidated, but rather was mocking the aggressor for him impudence.

"Now look," he whispered harshly, "either you admit to us who you are and why you've been assigned to deal with us or I'll blow your body into so many pieces that Hojo won't even be able to rebuild you."

"Oh, they won't need to rebuild me," Cait Sith replied with an arrogant grin. "This body is simply mechanical and can always be replaced." Vincent now backed away from the creature slightly, since there was obviously little violence would do to make this confrontation any more advantageous.

"You know, I'm not very inclined to reveal myself to you after being threatened in such a way, but I suppose you have known who I was all along somehow or another." The cat crossed its bony arms on top of the Mog, and seemed to be laughing down at the man so much more diminutive in size.

"It's Reeve, one of the members of the Shinra Executive Committee; I am sure you remember me perfectly. In some avid discussion, some fellow board members and I had decided that after Cloud sabotaged our operation in Junon the best way to achieve revenge would be to have someone sneak into his little rebel group. Being the master of manipulation that I am, I happily volunteered."

"But what is going to happen to Elmyra and Barret's daughter? Are you going to kill them?"

"Of course not," Reeve replied with a cackle. "I'm not evil; don't get me wrong."

"You are in Shinra; that is proof enough to contradict what you say," Vincent retorted coldly while finally making the decision to abandon the conversation. The rest of the party had continued onward and were a good distance now from the two. He continued to talk, but had simply proceeded to walk away.

"I know precisely what will happen to your two hostages. Of course you will not kill them immediately; you will just simply torture them into getting what you want. Then eventually you will kill them anyway, just to make the laymen afraid of you. You are not just a corporation based off of fear; you are a corporation based on lies!"

"Hey it works, doesn't it?" Reeve now dodged Vincent's frustrated fists with his Mog body and commenced to hop away.

"Now if you will excuse me, I must continue to do my job. You guys have no choice but to do what I say."

"By the way, I'll be sure to tell Hojo you're still alive. It really was his intention to be rotting by now." The cat-like monstrosity marched forward, and Vincent was forced to hurry to arrive at the Tiny Bronco at any reasonable time. He considering pressing the villain for more information concerning Lucrecia and his past, but there was nothing Reeve could say to earn his trust. There was only one person in Shinra with integrity, and it was likely Vincent would never be allowed to speak with him. This person contradicted Shinra's beliefs, so eventually they may have performed the same sadistic ritual upon him.  
  
-  
  
The waters of the ocean were surprisingly calm, and the Tiny Bronco was able to advance itself to the Temple of the Ancients without much tribulation. The only true turbulence of the afternoon came from outside the ocean, from the members of the party. The eerie silence from earlier in that day had continued onward to the afternoon, and no one truly had a desire to speak about anything. They were trapped in a difficult and inescapable situation; no matter where they could turn Shinra would have the upper hand.

The Temple was located on a lush, tropical island southwest of Midgar, a place that seemed to be untouched by civilization for hundreds of years. In many ways it reminded Vincent of the natural atmosphere of Wutai, except this time there was no abundance of people or even advanced architecture. The monument itself was located behind an immense forest, but the top of its sun-dried brick structure could be visible above the treetops. Cid drove the Bronco as close to the temple as possible, and Cloud finally broke the uncomfortable silence aboard the ship by standing up and grasping the sword off of his back..

"All right you guys; this place is likely to be pretty dangerous so it'll be best if only three of us enter the temple at one time. We'll keep a PHS with us in case there's any trouble, but do not come in unless we tell you to. We don't want to lose everyone in case something deadly is hiding in there. I will volunteer to lead the group inside, because I have a good feeling Sepiroth is in there and I want to settle the score. Any other volunteers?"

Aeris immediately raised her hand, which brought up a level of concern among many of her companions.

"I need to go in there," she urged them desperately in response. "I have...questions that I want answered. After all, it has to be called Temple of the Ancients for a reason." Aeris slid gracefully off of the Tiny Bronco, moving her wooden staff back and forth with her hips as she walked. For a girl as endangered as she was, she ultimately showed no signs of fear. In some ways similar to the situation with Cait Sith, the young woman had made her decision and there was little anyone could do to change it.

Cloud watched Aeris approach him carefully, and he placed his gloved hands behind his back as he continued to talk.

"Okay, now we just need one more person to come..."

"Hey Vincent, why don't you come along with us?" Aeris interjected with a sly smile upon her face. "Sepiroth may be able to answer some of your questions about Lucrecia if we force him to."

The former Turk shrugged his shoulders and agreed to the munificent suggestion. Even if the task was potentially dangerous, any moment he could spend with the woman he loved took precedence over tribulations.

Now assembled into a smaller assemblage, the three of them wished their companions farewell as they marched forward into the woods. Both Cloud and Vincent had their weapons drawn, but it was unnecessary since no monsters blocked or even threatened the path to the sacred temple. Nobody truly knew what to expect, but in a few minutes they reached the end of the forest and approached a wooden plank bridge over the moat. The temple loomed on the other side of the crossing, made of layers upon layers of golden bricks. In a world of machinery and Mako energy, such a magnificent building seemed like an anachronism; as they stepped cautiously over the bridge, it felt as if they were leaving the Planet and entering a new and enigmatic world full of questions without answers. It was almost a portal to eons away.

Aeris was the first to step off of the bridge and onto the rocky ground of the temple's entryway, and immediately her head was thrust forward uncontrollably towards the ground. Both Cloud and Vincent rushed forward to lift her up to her feet, but their strength was seemingly useless as Aeris remained stationary in her awkward position. She did not seem hurt, but was rather listening to something unknown to the two gentlemen. After a moment or two of this suspicious activity, she finally rose to her feet by her own initiative.

Of course, after seeing such an appalling display both Vincent and Cloud wrapped themselves around the flower girl in a huddle, deeply concerned as to her safety.

"I'm fine," Aeris told her suitors calmly, allowing the two of them to step backwards on the rough and rocky ground so that she could breathe.

"I was suddenly drawn to the voices of the Temple...the spirits of the Ancients are still inside."

"Well what are they saying?" Cloud asked impulsively, never one to contain great amounts of patience or respect.

"I'm...I'm not sure," Aeris replied hesitantly. "There are so many of them and everything seems to be distorted." She allowed her head to float upwards to the clouds for a few moments, and then lowered her magnificent eyes back to her companions.

"Let's move forward; I'm sure things will make more sense once we get inside."

The journey ahead actually seemed to further complicate matters, as the group moved cautiously into a dimly-lit chamber decorated with ornate carvings on the walls. There were narrow pillars on each side of the sanctum, with an altar placed in front of an enormous entryway where a seemingly indomitable stone door had been pushed open.

"Looks like Shinra has already used the Keystone," Cloud muttered regrettably as he led the way into the chamber, only to stop again upon seeing splatters of blood upon the otherwise brightly-colored ground. The group took small steps forward to find a desperate, trembling body lying against the left side of the altar, still alive but severely wounded so that his shirt was ripped in two to make an enormous gash evident in his chest.

The man appeared to be in his mid-forties, with a narrow face and lengthy black hair that had commenced to show patches of grey. Vincent may have not recognized him after so many years, had it not been for the blue suit coat crumpled on the ground with a Shinra badge attached.

The wounded character proved to be none other than Tseng; the only individual in Shinra to ever show Vincent any compassion; the only man that he had formed any sort of a friendship with. More than likely Tseng even figured him to be deceased like the other members of the Turks, but the long-removed gentleman was now standing before his former employer, imaginably moments away from his death. His dress shirt had been literally ripped in two by a strong weapon, and blood was dripping profusely from the enormous gash wound in the middle of his chest. Tseng did not seem to exhibit any signs of pain, however; the only expression he made was of surprise to see the eyes of Vincent Valentine staring down at him.

"So you've been alive this entire time," Tseng stuttered breathlessly, his mouth cringing with pain in every word he spoke. "Hojo will be most disappointed."

Vincent did not seem altogether sympathetic (especially since he had heard those words much too frequently lately), but he lightly patted the shoulder of his old friend before speaking.

"I encountered my old associates Reno and Rude in Wutai earlier this week, but I suppose they were too intoxicated to remember to tell you of our meeting." Tseng did not answer with words, but chuckled roughly as he seemingly looked onward into an empty void.

"Listen," Vincent stated in a much more serious and sympathetic tone, "I have some friends with me that have situated a boat a short distance from here. I can try to get you to a doctor."

Tseng used his arm to motion not to leave, and he rocked his flimsy head back against the side of the wooden altar.

"Don't waste your time on it. It is almost a strange phenomenon but you seem to have a certain feeling in you when you realize it is time for you to die; it is almost as if the Lifestream is calling out for you to return to the Planet. I realize now I have nothing left to accomplish here, so I suppose I have reached my time."

Vincent looked back to see Cloud and Aeris standing a few yards back, their faces unmoving but still concerned. This was a critical mission, and they could not waste any further time dealing with the fallen. There was nothing to do but make a critical decision.

"I am staying back. There are some questions that hopefully Tseng can help me answer. The answers for the two of you lie inside the temple, but they only way I can discover who I am is by searching through who I was, not trying to accomplish the present." The two hesitated in their tracks for a moment, but Cloud eventually used his PHS to ask Cait Sith to come along. He had forced them into their present predicament, so it seemed only fitting that he faced the imminent danger inside of the temple with them. Vincent's hasty decision was not second-guessed, but Aeris did gently touch his shoulder as she walked past into the main hall of the Temple. In truth it was better he did not face the danger with his friends, for he could only imagine what kind of horrific beast he could transform into upon encountering turmoil.

The body of Cait Sith waddled to catch up to Cloud and Aeris, but he merely scoffed at his fellow employee in his grim and destitute state instead of showing any admiration.

"I suppose it makes perfect since; the one nice guy in an angry mob is always the one to be punished."

Vincent turned back around to Tseng, who now seemed to be stretched out more towards the ground, and was breathing heavily simply to keep himself from perishing too painfully. He knew it was improper of him to disturb a dying man with thorny inquiries at such a time, but he was inclined to do so in order to end his own horrific suffering.

"What happened to Lucrecia, Tseng? Reno and Rude mentioned that she left the company shortly after I did."

There were grand pauses between words at this point, but Tseng surprisingly continued to speak in spite of the obvious pain of conversation. Blood was dripping onto Vincent's shoes, but he chose to ignore it to find out whatever information he could concerning his past.

"Lucrecia...did not want Sepiroth to be destroyed, so Hojo made sure she was...done away with. Everyone pretended to forget, and over time we really did forget. About Lucrecia...about both of you. I considered stopping Hojo at first...but I had to do my job. Of course it turns out that the same Sepiroth would also bring the death of me..." Vincent attempted to ask about his own disappearance, but Tseng was growing increasingly incoherent now, and he grasped out at Vincent's cloak with one of his wavering hands, pulling him closer to his wavering voice.

"Vincent, there were two sides to this battle since the very beginning; your side and mine. This is where mine has brought me."

The former employee shook his head in disagreement. "It was not truly your fault; you had to have some way to keep your life going."

"There was always another way, Vincent...I was just...too afraid to look for it. All I have left to do now is applaud you before I go."

"Why is that?"

"For picking the better side; the right side. I wish you well in your endeavors." Vincent placed a pale hand upon his shoulder, and Tseng closed his dark brown eyes and drifted off into another world, a world of aptly more pleasant reveries and fantasies.

There were no tears spent on this tragic occasion, but there was no need for them considering the shattering of Vincent's own spirit inside. It seemed now as if he was truly separated from the world he once knew, for the only one who had befriended him in Shinra was lying against the altar, cold and breathless.

It was rather extraordinary that Vincent found himself lifting Tseng's body off of the frigid ground, blood still lightly dripping onto his clothes. He had never performed such an exhibition before, but he could not abandon the body of someone he was once close to. The temple and the surroundings seemed suddenly trivial, and a different scene was plastered into his mind as he carried the body back out across the rickety bridge. In fact, it seemed almost as if Vincent was not carrying anyone at all, but rather wandering methodically through the hallways of Shinra Headquarters, much like he did so many years ago. Tseng was walking alongside of him, younger and healthier than he had ever been. Vincent was about to depart for his recruiting mission in Kalm, and his employer was seeing him to the elevator.

Vincent had pressed the button to summon the transport, and had turned to face the fascinating gentleman, who was straight-faced and professional as always.

"Tseng, why is that you never participate in any of the field missions yourself? Do you not get tired of life in Midgar?"

Tseng did not scowl at the inquiry, but merely looked down towards the linoleum floor.

"My friend, I have seen all of the world that I ever wish to see. Midgar is my home now."

"But what about your family and friends; you have never desired to see them?"

"My wife Lena was murdered a few months before I enlisted in the Turks," Tseng replied demurely. "I had left our home in Gongaga one afternoon and when I returned...I found her body lying in her bed, motionless and with multiple stab wounds. That is why I joined the Turks; I wanted to find out who was responsible for her death."

"Then why not search for the murderers yourself?"

In hearing this, Tseng finally raised his head to eye level and placed his hands into his coat pockets.

"If I was ever to find the killers, I am afraid of what I might do. The criminals will receive their punishment one way or another, but it would do me no good to murder others. I have never killed a soul, even though it is my job to."

"I joined the Turks because I felt like I could stop other people from facing the same miserable fate that I did. I do not ever want to make anyone else have to live life without the one they loved. Shinra may not be what I expected in some ways," Tseng exclaimed with some level of uncertainty, "but I still do the best job I can."

It was at this time the resonated chiming of the elevator could be heard, and the doors opened for Vincent to climb into.

"I will keep my eyes open, Tseng," Vincent stated defiantly while bowing politely to his employer and taking his place in the elevator to begin his journey down.

It was awfully impetuous for Vincent to make that sort of a commitment to Tseng at the time, especially without any knowledge of his wife or even the mysterious town of Gongaga. Yet now as he approached the southern sea with the man he so deeply respected in his arms (who was in fact forced to take this field mission), it seemed like a promise that would be blasphemy not to keep. Tseng had given him his freedom from Kalm, and now it was Vincent's turn to do the same. A life could be avenged, and two souls could finally rest in peace.

Even with so many questions unanswered, Vincent continued onward into the lukewarm water of the ocean until he could barely keep Tseng's body afloat. He finally then placed it down into the water, allowing the body to sink down into the sand until it would eventually drift elsewhere.

Looking out into the horizon, he took last look down onto the sinking face of his former associate.

"May you find the Lifestream quickly, my friend. I am certain Lena is waiting for you."

Vincent placed his own hands down into the water, allowing the blood staining his skin to be washed away and pervade into the body of the sea. He was perspiring and sore, and it took nearly the entirety of his energy to make it back to shore. The remaining members of the party had constructed tents for the evening (one for the ladies and one for the gentlemen), and even though there was some difficulty deciphering which tent belonged to whom, he was ultimately able to detect snoring in the tent furthest to the right. Typically Tifa and Yuffie were not known to be of the clamorous type, so he was able to unzip the black canvas to find Barret rolled up into a ball sound asleep. Cid and Red were pressed up against one end of the tent, almost as if they were protecting themselves from some unknown evil. In all actuality Barret had been tossing and turning in his sleep, so they were simply attempting to salvage their meek and broken bodies against the girth of the burly rebel.

Cid was not one to speak in muffled voice, so he raised his hand upon Vincent's entrance and spoke loudly in spite of Barret's present undertaking.

"Hey there, Vinny! I'm glad to see you decided to ditch the others so that damn cat could take your place. That's the last kind of person I want to sleep in a tent with, some lying-ass Shinra crook."

"I did not leave because I was frightened," Vincent replied in a frustrated manner. He did not climb into the tent, but instead attempted to shake off the layers of salty water from his clothes.

"I left Cloud and Aeris to care for my old friend Tseng. Sepiroth murdered him and left the body at the front of the temple, only breathing for a few more moments."

"I remember that man from Shinra Headquarters when they had me in quarantine with Aeris," Red added thoughtfully while scratching his head with his paw (which in some senses made it rather ironic).

"He seemed like a fairly decent gentleman; I didn't understand why he couldn't find work elsewhere."

"He probably could, but Tseng had his reasons like anyone else." Vincent thought about mentioning Lena to his peculiar companions, but quickly shunned the idea as it was ultimately irrelevant.

"Anyway, Tseng has perished, so the reasoning just seems meaningless now."

"Yeah, but we all have to die sometime," Cid replied with a cackling voice. "That's kind of the crappy part about life; dying, that is."

Vincent had no reply to Cid's theory, as he had seen and heard enough about death and suffering to sicken him to no end. He had already assumed both Gast and Ifalna to be dead, and Lucrecia was thought to be the same. Tseng was truly the only one he had any respect for from his past (other than Ester, who now he may never be able to establish a bond with again), and now he had witnessed his tragic passing from the world.

So feeling as if the Planet could not be any more unjust, Vincent rested his head back against the side of the tent and closed his swollen eyes. It was shocking how he could be so disdainful, after such a wonderful night and morning with the beautiful flower girl. Yet he had witnessed enough of tragedy and death, and he envisioned a sinking feeling that things would only progress for the worst.

_But tomorrow will always come around to be better, right?_ He thought to himself as he started to drift off into sleep. It was only the mid- afternoon, and yet he was exhausted beyond belief, possibly due to his desire for change.

_Yet you have to be the one to change things._

"What?"

_You have to be the one to change things...  
_

It may have been just due to incredible exhaustion, but strangely the second voice sounded remarkably like his beloved Aeris; his savior in a world of hate.


End file.
